Japanese Prime Minister’s aide told off by ‘ashamed’ mother for putting hands in pocket during Joe Biden trip

Seiji Kihara, a senior aide to Japan’s prime minister, said his mother told him off after being caught on camera with his hands shoved in his pockets. Photo / Getty Images

A senior aide to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been forced to apologise after his “ashamed” mother scolded him for putting his hands in his pockets during an official trip to the US.

Seiji Kihara, the deputy chief cabinet secretary, opened up about the incident, saying his mother had read comments that he was “disgracing his parents” after he was caught with his hands in his pockets while the Prime Minister spoke to reporters in Washington.

The senior aide then received an angry phone call from his mother, telling Kihara she was “ashamed” of him before suggesting he “sew up his pockets” to avoid the rude incident from ever happening again.

The moment was caught on camera, with Kihara gazing at the Kishida just a few metres in front, seemingly forgetting news agencies were filming the press conference live.

【速報】岸田首相は日米首脳会談後、記者団に、「バイデン大統領との個人的な信頼関係も一層深めることができた。日米同盟を一層連携を強く確認できたという手ごたえを感じている」と述べました #日米首脳会談 pic.twitter.com/50PyaP4RIC

— 朝日新聞官邸クラブ (@asahi_kantei) January 13, 2023

After realising he was on camera with his hands in his pockets, he quickly adjusted his trousers and folded his hands.

Asahi Shimbun newspaper posted the clip online which sparked fierce criticism from Japanese social media users.

Some accused Hikara of bad manners, while others claimed he has “more attitude than the prime minister”.

Seiji Kihara, the Japanese deputy chief cabinet secretary, was criticised after he was seen standing behind Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with his hands in his pockets. Photo / Twitter / @asahi_kantei

Responding to criticism, Hikara defended his actions claiming he’s “the sort of person who puts his hands in his pockets while walking”.

Unfortunately for Hikara, he was standing still. However, he explained he was concentrating on the Prime Minister’s comments so that he could correctly brief the media on the outcome of the Biden summit.

“I was thinking of how best to convey the amicable Japan-US relations on display at the summit,” he said in an appearance on a YouTube political discussion channel, much to the amusement of the other guests.

The incident occurred on January 13 during Kishida’s five-country visit to Europe and North America, which included his first summit as prime minister with Joe Biden.

It’s not the first time a high-profile government figure has been in the firing line for their manners.

Boris Johnson was once criticsed for putting his hands in his suit jacket and trouser pockets at a Nato summit in 2022 while watching other leaders shake hands and engage in conversation.