
 
 Youtube 
 
 Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is a press conference. 
 
 A local Japanese lawmaker named Ryutaro Nonomura delivered on Tuesday one of the most dramatic and confusingly emotional answer-and-question sessions probably ever. For several long minutes, before a room of baffled reporters, he cried, screamed, pounded the table, bowed, tried to shield himself drinking water and generally had one big old hissy fit. 
 
 
 
 Ryutaro Nonomura crying at a press conference to explain his profligate use of public funds at a prefectural office. (1,2. AP/Kyodo News, 3. AFP/Getty) 
 
 More puzzling was the fact that he’s not accused of doing anything explicitly illegal, the Associated Press reports. A Kobe Shimbun newspaper this week questioned why he had visited a nearby hot springs 106 times last year, racking up $30,000 in expenses. Such visits aren’t inherently against the law, though reports disagree as to whether he had the proper receipts. 
 
 By way of explanation, he got more than a little misty. 
 
 
 
 YouTube 
 
 “[Crying] . . . I finally became an assembly member . . . [crying] . . . with the sole purpose of changing society,” he bawled during the three-hour Kobe press conference, according to the Japan Times. “[Crying] . . . This Japan . . . [crying] . . . I want to change this society… [crying] . . . I have staked my life . . . [crying] . . . Don’t you understand?” 
 
 The Hyogo Prefecture statesman added, emphatically, “I’m putting my life on the line!” 
 
 
 
 Youtube 
 
 In a sense, the performance was awesome. No one can ever accuse Nonomura of not going for it. But in the broader context of Japanese society, which values temperance and reticence, the outburst made little to no sense. Some have called for his resignation, and others are wondering whether he’s lost his mind. “Many people are starting to demand that he resign,” Asada said. “He is usually not that emotional.” 
 
 Hyogo legislators get $5,000 per month for expenses that involve official business, some of which may entail traveling. It’s unclear, however, how much official business Nonomura was conducting at the hot springs. 
 
 But most of the population on Wednesday appeared to be more more enthralled by the sheer insanity of the video than the profligate expenses. The clip on YouTube has snared almost 2 million page views. 
 
 “I went to all the places [claimed],” Nonomura assured in the conference, Rocket News 24 said. “Aging population isn’t only a problem in our prefecture!” 
 
 Here’s the full video: ||||| TOKYO (AP) — A video clip of a weeping Japanese politician accused of dubious spending on trips to a hot springs has gone viral, leaving many outraged and puzzled. 
 
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 In this Tuesday, July 1, 2014 photo, Hyogo Prefectural assemblyman Ryutaro Nonomura gestures as he speaks during a press conference in Kobe, western Japan. A video clip of Nonomura accused of dubious... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Tuesday, July 1, 2014 photo, Hyogo Prefectural assemblyman Ryutaro Nonomura cries during a press conference in Kobe, western Japan. A video clip of Nonomura accused of dubious spending has gone... (Associated Press) 
 
 The video shows Ryutaro Nonomura, 47, a Hyogo Prefectural assemblyman, bursting into tears, uttering nonsensical phrases and banging on the desk. 
 
 "To change Japan and society," he said in a choked voice, stopping mid-sentence, sometimes sobbing so loud he was shouting. "I'm putting my life on the line." 
 
 One site for the video drew nearly 640,000 views, as of Thursday. 
 
 His news conference Tuesday followed a Kobe Shimbun newspaper report this week that raised questions about Nonomura's visiting the hot springs 106 times last year, using public money. 
 
 Such visits were not illegal and had been reported to the assembly office, but totaled 3 million yen ($30,000). 
 
 Calls are rising for Nonomura to give an explanation. 
 
 Hyogo legislators get 500,000 yen ($5,000) a month for expenses, including travel, but the spending is supposed to be for official travel, research and other costs related to activities of elected office. 
 
 Nonomura, who does not belong to a major political party, was found to have gone to other day trips, racking up expenses, including visits to Tokyo and southwestern city of Fukuoka. 
 
 Of his 195 day trips, ones to the "onsen" hot-springs resort town of Kinosaki, which lies outside his precinct, were the most frequent. 
 
 The appalled public response is also due to the fact Japanese politicians here are generally staid. Outbursts are considered unsightly in a conservative culture that favors quiet, reserved personal styles. 
 
 Nonomura's behavior has been widely seen as extreme, perhaps even a sign of illness. 
 
 Japanese politicians have been forced to quit in the past after gaffes such as comments seen as sexist or discriminatory, or after getting embroiled in sex scandals. 
 
 Calls to Nonomura's office and email queries asking for comment were not immediately answered. 
 
 Hideaki Asada of the Hyogo Prefectural assembly office said the assembly was now on summer break, but the local government believes Nonomura owes the people an explanation about his spending habits. 
 
 "Many people are starting to demand that he resign," Asada said. "He is usually not that emotional." 
 
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 On YouTube: 
 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gviufzt7dgk
– A Japanese lawmaker has baffled the world—and provided the latest viral video—with his screaming, weeping apology. Ryutaro Nonomura, 47, a Hyogo Prefectural assemblyman, held a press conference Tuesday after a newspaper raised questions about why he visited hot springs 106 times last year using public money, the AP reports. Though the visits cost $30,000, they aren't illegal, but many called for an explanation—leading to Tuesday's spectacle, which also included Nonomura banging on the desk and shouting strange things like, "I'm putting my life on the line." In total, Nonomura took 195 day trips—Hyogo lawmakers receive $5,000 per month for expenses including travel, but the travel is supposed to be for official business, and the trips he took to the hot springs resort town were outside his precinct. (He also may not have had the proper receipts, the Washington Post notes.) As the AP explains, the video—which has been viewed more than 2 million times so far—is also notable because Japanese politicians are typically reserved. "Many people are starting to demand that he resign," says a member of the Hyogo Prefectural assembly office. "He is usually not that emotional."