Was at a bookstore (Maruzen) and while browsing, I noticed this magazine and recognised the reference being Twice and their Cheer Up MV. Just wondering what is the context of Twice's Cheer Up being used as a reference. I know Takaichi Sanae, the current Prime Minister is not short of controversies… I only recognise her and Kimi Onoda (second from left).
by NationalArtGallery
13 Comments
Politicians being politicians. They appropriate something positive to make people believe in their agenda. It particularly disgusts me to see a politician appropriating Twice’s image.
Ew wtf?
my guess is it’s satirical. like maybe they’re supposed to be saying “cheer up” despite the economy being bad? i dunno just a guess.
I ran it through the screen translator, this is the only relevant caption for the picture. All the other translated words were about random news (like accidents, etc)
https://preview.redd.it/7vcaaec86umg1.jpeg?width=962&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ff15a128d60eb4fd8e611267bc5b3cf9a326de6
Speculation: that pose is during the “be a man” bridge in the song. According to a Wikipedia summary (I’m not an AI but I sure as hell use it), Sanae is described as “a staunch conservative whose policies often clash with gender equality goals, leading critics to label her actions as reinforcing patriarchal, or “misogynistic,” structures. She opposes same-sex marriage, favors mandatory shared surnames for married couples, and supports male-only imperial succession.”
In simple terms, it’s most likely “how ya doin fellow kids” vibes
https://i.redd.it/v7bx9i00aumg1.gif
Could be 2 things. The first is satire poking fun at the politicians for a bit. Second could be washing in a sense to give the politician(s) a softer appearance and appeal to a certain demographic.
1: Twice is THAT BIG in Japan, so maybe trying to be relatable..
2: Trying to soften younger generations to conservativism nmaybe?
but Twice is all and almost always had been women empowerment, so I believe #1 is what the PM’s PR team thought.
Stanning/fangirling is nowadays called Oshikatsu in Japan and Sanae Takaichi is known for her cult following – which is called Sana-katsu (Sanae + Oshikastu). Some confused that as stanning Twice’s Sana, who is also popular in Japan. So the illustrator took the inspiration from that and draw the cabinet members as Twice!
[https://www.zaiten.co.jp/article/2025/11/89twice.html](https://www.zaiten.co.jp/article/2025/11/89twice.html) – From the illustrator.
[https://mainichi.jp/articles/20260129/k00/00m/010/226000c](https://mainichi.jp/articles/20260129/k00/00m/010/226000c) – One article that is mentioning Twice’s Sana
Seems obviously satirical from how the faces were drawn
