As a politician he took on party conservatives and became one of Japan's most popular postwar prime ministers. In retirement Junichiro Koizumi, the silver-haired reformer with an Elvis Presley obsession, is about to confront a very different foe: space monsters.
Koizumi, who retired from politics before August's general election, has swapped the soapbox for the studio to lend his voice to Ultraman King, an extraterrestrial TV superhero revered by three generations of Japanese.
Ironically for a politician who once threatened to reform his party or else destroy it, the 67-year-old was apparently chosen for his skills as a unifier.
"We considered many people who might be able to play this crucial role," said a producer at Tsuburaya Productions. "But we though that the only person who could really have the presence of Ultraman King, who brings the [Ultraman] clan together, would be Mr Koizumi, who once led the country."
Fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their political hero wearing his character's figure-hugging silver and blue jumpsuit will be disappointed: Koizumi will not appear in Mega Monster Battle Ultra Galaxy when it goes on release in December.
Koizumi, Japan's prime minister between 2001 and 2006, has adopted a low profile since retiring from parliament. His political legacy has been secured by his son, Shinjiro, 28, who was one of the few Liberal Democratic party victors in the election, which the party lost. Shinjiro encouraged his father to accept the role.
"Shinjiro said I should be in [the film], that he liked it when he was a kid," Koizumi said in a TV interview. "He said it's not related to politics so it should be OK." In the film his character tells his enemies: "Pay for your transgression!" Given the ruthlessness with which he dealt with his political opponents, it was a line that probably required no rehearsal.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion