Japan's badass new prime minister

This fan-made video of Japan's new prime minister should have Chuck Norris shaking in his boots. The guy's a bad ass. And, as evidenced by this photo taken when he was on the Japanese shooting team in the 1976 Olympics, he would have been a more handsome action hero than Norris, too. (Via Japan Probe)

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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Mim

I’m sorry, but I cannot have confidence in any Japanese prime minister whose hair is that uninspired. The former prime minister’s hair was much better.
shahryarrakeen

I like the Unabomber hoodie getup. I wouldn’t be surprised if his new nickname is Yunabomasan.
grimc

Clay pigeons may cut it in Japan, but in the US of A we expect our leaders to be able to shoot people in the face.
MaximusNYC

He actually looks a bit like Charles Bronson in that video.
Perla

Okay, okay, he’s still hot though. I would do him.
aj

An Aso v. Putin wrestliing match would be cool to watch. But Mr. Prime Minister: don’t do it for any serious stakes (e.g. the northern territories), because Vlad will kick your ass.
doublethink

I kept expecting a guy to leap out and throw a punch and our intrepid hero to expertly block it and give him a sick judo throw. It was the music that did it.
Anonymous

He’s not as bad assed as Vladimir Putin. Putin owns them all.
sirtwist

I am sure the japanese appreciate to have someone trustworthy at least. :-)
shideazy

Is that it, just some funky music a couple of words and some images of the guy. WHAT??? Who makes this guy a badass?

To even be in the same sentence as the Chuck Norris is ubsurd. Mr. Norris was an actor after he became a REAL badass, some stats for the uninformed.

In 1968, Chuck fought and won the World Professional MiddleWeight Karate championships by defeating the World’s Top Fighters. He held that title until 1974 when he retired undefeated.

What part of UNDEFEATED dont you understand. Shutup.
june

WATCH YOUR BACK, HAWAII.
Halloween Jack

Let’s see if he shows up at the UN wearing a black leather trenchcoat with two sawed-offs holstered on his back before we get into any serious hero worship.
damageman

Living in Japan I am a little disappointed in this pick for PM. You see Aso sounds like asshole when said on the news but now that he is the PM we will hear his name more often and that will lessen the Asshole effect for me. Really quite disheartening.
Daemon

Aso Taro – aka Rozen Taro
Simply by becoming a candidate for the job caused a massive surge in the stock prices for anime/videogame/manga/etc. related companies.

Best known in otaku circles for being a fan of the Rozen Maiden manga series, which has lead to his nickname: Rozen Aso.

Of course, he sort of breaks the otaku sterotype by having a sister that’s married into the royal family, having two relatives who have alreay been PM, etc.
DeuceMojo

This little bitch would last 30 seconds in Ninja Warrior — enough time to do a backflip, strike a karate pose, then fall flailing into muddy water.

Japan needs a proper crab fisherman or octopus-wearing sushi chef for president.
rosellastreett

Not so sure guns and comic books qualifies a man to be a great leader. There better be some compassion built in as well.
michaelkevin

let’s make him fight chuck liddel
jbang

I know very little about Japanese politics, barring the endorsement of whale slaughter.

But I do know their Prime Ministers are full of the sauce. Well, the last two, anyway. Which makes ‘em okay by me… again, ingnoring that whaling business.
gretagretchen

I still think he looked pretty hot in 1976. Meeeeow, Rawwwr! Yellow Fever!
themindfantastic

There should be a post of really bad assed political leaders, Thatcher (the IRON LADY), Chretien (Who needs guards I take them out myself), Putin (My Spetsnaz body intimidates EVERYONE), etc. It would be an interesting list.
gandalf23

Dude, Chuck Norris’ beard will kill you dead. You don’t screw around insulting Mr. Norris, even obliquely. Remember, this is the man who destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise! It may be too late, but an apology would not be out of place. Haven’t you read the Chuck Norris Facts Documentaries? :)
Emily (daturazoku)

This guy is also the women are baby-making machines guy.

I hope he resigns soon like the rest of them. This guy can’t keep his foot out of his mouth long enough to eat dinner, let alone survive a prime minister-ship.
absolutetrust

Love the sunglasses.
CharlesSpongeworth

I so want there to be a huge world leader fight contest – The G8 Deathmatch or something. Of course Putin would win, but it would be interesting to see who would be the runners up. The Japanese PM would do well. I think Gordon Brown might rank high up – his deceptively dopey look masks his hidden rugby strength. I’m not sure where I would place Bush – he’s certainly fitter than a lot of leaders, but has he got the skills?
gilforsyth

Oh Taro Aso, hoping to make Japan a country where “rich jews” would like to live.
zav

Chuck Norris is bald and wears a bad toupee. This is true because it is a fact.
WalterBillington

This has drawn out some of the funniest commenting I’ve ever seen. Fabulous – it’s on my wall of glory.

Don’t f*ck with Chuck. One glimpse of Delta Force and you should know better. Mistervega, watch out, Bruce hired Chuck out of RESPECT – not just some hired dummy off the street.

Gordon Brown – yes, deceptively dopey is the key. Just remember Tony Bliar’s phrase “the great clunking fist” – in their tiffs I’m sure TB had one or two of them land on the chops. And now that GB (ever noticed that? He has his nation’s initials) has stopped smiling like some rictus parody of TB, he’s actually looking like the man, and could even pose a problem for Chuck. No he couldn’t. Bush? Only thing he’s hitting is gonna be the bottle, then the floor. Putin, hmm, unfortunately, good point. Especially in his camos.

#14, you deserve a career in highly-paid comedy. Brilliant. As if anyone would actually DO that.

Beautiful morning, highly amusing.
searconflex

what happened to takuan?
Dean

I so desperately want to make a parody of this with George Bush.

Being a badass does not necessarily make you a good leader. Not to say a badass can’t be an excellent leader (take Dwight Eisenhower or Teddy Roosevelt or FDR (there’s a man’s man for you)), but being a badass doesn’t automatically qualify you as a great leader.

I think a montage of George Bush or Dick Cheney hunting, fishing and just generally shooting things up would prove my point nicely. Yosemite Sam style.
DelicateFlower

Ah, but will John Rain approve of him?
mistervega

Pâ€¢Iâ€¢Mâ€¢Pâ€¢!

and um, yeahhh – let’s get over the chuck norris thing. who knows where or what he’d be doing if bruce lee never starred him in way of the dragon.
mistervega

#5 – please do make the parody – would love to see it!
Gainclone

Ensign Sulu. That would be cool.
Cochituate

I’d like to see him go mano-a-mano with Dick Cheney; shotguns at 30 paces. Dick’s dead meat
Trent Hawkins

If you do make a Bush parody, make sure the sound track is “Wacky Sax”
the other matt

aso is not the baby-making machines comment guy.
he is just another right-wing rich guy from the same line of people who have been running japan for the last 1000 years

His family firm used POW slave labour during WWII from Korea, Australia & so on & refuse to admit it

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/19/japan

he also cites Golgo 13 as his favourite manga. All very well to love golgo for its cheesy lantern-jawed, euro-trash shagging, hunk of masculine power snipin’ hero, so long as you add a slice of irony to the pie. Not aso, however. He really thinks Golgo is kewl…

Basically another dumbass poser of a PM in the Abe style. With even more tragic personal style than that potato-head..
frankiez

Taro Aso finally made it!
He is a self confessed OTAKU (geek) and made a lot of speeches in Akiba (the Japanese geek’s mecca)…

Can you imagine a geek as US President?!
Chinpira

The guy looks and sounds like a real ASO.
RoBot

Looks like he’ll TARO hole in your ASO.