During a taxpayer-funded official inspection trip to Bangkok, Thailand, a Fukuoka prefectural assembly member posted footage to social media showing them dancing to the theme from the movie “Titanic” at a reception, drawing criticism. Smart FLASH reported that Seiji Miyane of the TV show “Miyaneya” remarked, “Do we always have to be deadly serious?” — a comment seen as defending the assemblyman — which sparked controversy on 5channel as well. In the thread, opinions split between those arguing “a bit of letting loose should be tolerated” and those countering “goofing off on camera during an official, taxpayer-funded trip is out of the question,” with reactions to Miyane’s remark itself also divided.
Seiji Miyane’s Mysterious Defense of Fukuoka Assemblyman’s “Titanic Duty Trip”: “Do We Always Have to Talk About Serious Stuff?” Sparks Backlash | Smart FLASH/Sumafura [Kobunsha Weekly Magazines]
Published: 2026.09.10 15:30
Last updated: 2026.09.10 15:32
Source: smart-flash.jp / Read the original article here
No wonder the show's getting cancelled.
But the whole trip was probably nothing but blowing off steam,
and that's exactly why people want to criticize it.
I mean, they were literally calling it a trip.
Well, obviously.
The money that lets them travel abroad in luxury on the taxpayer's dime is meant to fund actual work.
Save the goofing off for a private trip you pay for yourself.
Bringing family along too — honestly, every assembly member involved should have to resign and be barred from running in the next election.
If you're spending tax money and then flaunt the fact you're having fun, of course you're going to get slammed for it.
The Fukuoka prefectural assembly really loves Southeast Asia.
Kyoko "Titanic" Ota
Talking would've been enough.
once people decide to hate you, everything you do gets hated on.
Abe clowned around way more than this in his Mario costume.
If he did that today he'd probably get destroyed for it lol
You wouldn't even do this at a drinking party.
It's a reception — throwing in a goofy bit like that should be fine lol
but the simple point is: don't clown around somewhere that's going to be filmed or recorded while you're on official duty.
Even a grade-schooler gets that.
It's like saying 'save the pillow fight for when the teacher isn't looking.'
Like, just because something sad happened doesn't mean you can never laugh again either.
But were they actually doing the work properly?
Probably zero, honestly.
so now he wants prestige — I bet he's going into politics next.
That's probably why he's defending them.
He probably just wants people to think he's a fun old guy.
He's got a point though.
Don't you guys also take photos in front of statues or buy souvenirs when you go on a work trip somewhere?
Nobody said don't do it at all.
Just do it somewhere no one can see, that's all.
Background and Key Points of This Story
This “Titanic duty trip” controversy stems from a Fukuoka prefectural assembly member posting social media footage of themselves dancing to the movie’s theme music at a reception during a taxpayer-funded inspection trip to Bangkok, Thailand — behavior criticized as inappropriate during an official, publicly funded trip. Similar incidents have cropped up repeatedly this year, and on 5channel commenters have drawn comparisons to the earlier “Eiffel Tower pose” scandal involving Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers, framing this as part of a pattern where “every overseas inspection trip ends up going viral for its goof-off moments.” Opinion split largely over the fact that the incident in question happened not during the inspection itself but at a social reception, with one side arguing “criticizing people over a bit of downtime is overkill” and the other maintaining “goofing around anywhere that ends up on camera is unacceptable when you’re on the public dime.” Reactions were similarly divided over Seiji Miyane’s comment, “Do we always have to be deadly serious?” — with some reading it as a genuine defense and others as him simply deflecting. One point that’s easy to misread: the criticism here targets specifically “behavior in moments that get filmed and shared while on official, publicly funded duty,” not the substance or merits of the inspection trip itself, which this thread does not address.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5channel (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “[Miyaneya] Seiji Miyane’s Mysterious Defense of Fukuoka Assemblyman’s “Titanic Duty Trip”: “Do We Always Have to Talk About Serious Stuff?”.”
