On the same day as the new era finally comes along to the U.S. with Obama's inauguration, across the Pacific Ocean, an opposition party politician was mocking Prime Minister Aso for his inability to read Kanji correctly (=equivalent of not being able to spell correctly).

I cannot really judge Aso's ability to serve our country, because I live so far away and the only way to know his action is through sporadic (and often distorted) media coverage, but aside from that point, I feel ASHAMED to be a Japanese citizen, to see politicians wasting their precious time and the tax money for their salary for such trivial things.

My son is a bit dyslexic, so I understand that some people have trouble memorizing the right way to write/read Kanji, or spelling correctly. It is hard. I even suspect that Aso may have the similar tendency. But so what?

It is one thing that media mock the politician in such a way (I enjoy Colbert Report a lot), but to do it in the parliament environment is totally another. It is a SHAME to see this in the second largest economy in the world.

Michi