Crying politicians are nothing new. John Boehner has been known to shed more than his fair share of tears now and again.
But this week, a video of a Japanese politician sobbing throughout a press conference made waves, racking up more than 3 million views on YouTube since it was uploaded on Tuesday.
Ryutaro Nonomura, a 47-year-old assemblyman, is under fire for allegedly spending government funds (about 3 million yen, or almost $30,000) to take 195 trips to various hot spring resorts without providing receipts. Nonomura openly reported the trips to the assembly, and those trips were not technically illegal, he is being harangued by the public for an explanation.
During a three-hour press conference on Tuesday at the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly in the Kansai region of Japan, Nonomura screamed at reporters, protesting his innocence and repeatedly shouting, "You don't understand!" and "I want to change this society!" He also pounded his fists on the desk as he wailed and sobbed uncontrollably.
On Twitter, people immediately began making snarky remarks about the video.
Want heartfelt apologies from your politicians? This sobbing Japanese politician seems to have set the bar: http://t.co/w4kbAFzf6y— Matt Galloway (@mattgallowaycbc) July 3, 2014
This is how I felt after #ALG lost to #GER. http://t.co/I8tZZSA0Cl pic.twitter.com/PrrNBepHDS— James Wan (@jamesjwan) July 2, 2014
Nonomura was elected as an assemblyman in 2011. He has not yet confirmed whether he will return the money spent on the trips.