Netizens Criticize Sanae Takaichi Over 200 Million Won Jewelry; Approval Ratings Remain Strong

The Japanese government has belatedly clarified that there was a mistranslation regarding the remarks Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a summit earlier this month, and that Prime Minister Takaichi had relayed the incorrect information.

According to the Japanese government and the Asahi Shimbun on July 9, Prime Minister Takaichi stated during a joint press conference following the summit in New Delhi, India, on July 2 (local time) that Prime Minister Modi had referred to her as a "beautiful younger sister." However, the adjective "beautiful" was not part of Prime Minister Modi's actual remarks.

Minoru Kihara, the Chief Cabinet Secretary and spokesperson for the Japanese government, explained regarding Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks, "She accepted and repeated what the government-contracted simultaneous interpreter translated as 'beautiful younger sister'."

The explanation is that the incident occurred due to a mistranslation during the process of converting Hindi to English and then into Japanese.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that there has been no issue raised by the Indian side regarding Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks.

During the joint press conference at the time, Prime Minister Takaichi said that she and Prime Minister Modi, who is her senior, had agreed to continue a relationship like that of an "older brother" and "younger sister" in the future.

According to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki, who attended the meeting, Prime Minister Takaichi, who considers the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe her "political mentor," had conveyed to the Indian side that she wished to be called a "younger sister," drawing inspiration from the fact that Abe had called Prime Minister Modi his "older brother" during his term.

Some in Japan are criticizing the incident, suggesting that Prime Minister Takaichi, who has emphasized personal ties with leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump, may have created unnecessary noise while trying to craft an image in her diplomacy with India.

Meanwhile, photos of Prime Minister Takaichi wearing loaned jewelry worth 26 million yen (approximately 240 million won) while attending the 37th Japan Jewelry Best Dresser Award ceremony in Tokyo on July 4 have circulated online, drawing criticism from Japanese netizens.

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Takaichi continues to enjoy high popularity, maintaining an approval rating in the 60% range in polls conducted by major Japanese media outlets.

(Photo: Yonhap News/Captured from Prime Minister Takaichi's X account)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.