Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opened a YouTube channel and is becoming a hot topic. 



According to local media reports such as Kyodo News, former Prime Minister Abe completed registration as a candidate to run for the House of Representatives election to be held at the end of this month in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, a constituency, on the 19th, and opened the 'Abe Shinzo Channel' on YouTube on the same day. . 



'Abe Shinzo Channel' is gaining popularity with over 170,000 subscribers in just two days of opening. 



After opening the channel, former Prime Minister Abe shared a 42-second video titled 'On the opening of an official channel'.



In the video, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe greeted in a suit and said, "It is time to change the existing method as it is the pre-election in the Corona 19 situation." Then, he explained the reason for opening YouTube, saying, "After contemplating how to convey my thoughts and ideology and explain policies, I thought that I should also use SNS."



The video attracted so many people's attention that it had over 560,000 views within two days of its release.



The second one-minute and seven-second video titled 'To everyone in Shimonoseki City and Nakato City', which was uploaded next, contained a plea for support from the voters of his constituency.



It also garnered close to 150,000 views within a day of posting.



Former Prime Minister Abe resigned in September last year due to worsening of the chronic ulcerative colitis.



Since then, he has not held a specific title, but has maintained his position as a member of the House of Representatives of the LDP. He claims to be the 'Kingmaker' of the LDP and continues to exert a great influence in Japanese politics, such as leading the election of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.



▲ Ex-Prime Minister Abe's opening ceremony for the House of Representatives elections held on the 19th in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.


Former Prime Minister Abe, who ran for the Shimonoseki City House of Representatives election in Yamaguchi Prefecture, will have a record of '10th term member of the House of Representatives' if elected this time.



Japanese netizens reacted differently to former Prime Minister Abe's opening of a YouTube channel.

One Twitter user responded to a post by former Prime Minister Abe announcing the opening of a YouTube channel, saying, "I have subscribed. Please continue to operate the channel even after the election."

Another user said, "As a conservative supporter of the LDP, I hope (Shinzo Abe) will become prime minister again."



On the other hand, there were also criticisms that it was only a one-way communication that 'shimmers' only during the election season.

One Twitter user commented, "It seems that they don't want to hear the people's voices."

Another user also responded coldly, saying, "Abe's YouTube is only for election purposes."



This is a 'news pick'.



(Photo=YouTube 'あべ晋三channel', Yonhap News)