Nobuko Kan, wife of Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan shows her book about her husband during a press conference in Tokyo.(Agencies) |
Japan's outspoken first lady said Wednesday she would not marry Premier Naoto Kan again in another life, in a display of tough love to a husband already battling political rivals and low support ratings. The prime minister's wife Nobuko Kan, 65, who is renowned for pulling few punches, admitted that she is not the kind of person who supports her husband through encouragement. "I rather go for scolding and scolding. I pull back a little when I think I've been too severe," she told reporters when asked how she can support her husband when he is faced with criticism from media and opposition parties. "He goes to parliament, telling me 'I hate (being grilled in) parliament, but it is easier than arguing against you'," said the woman Kan has called his "opposition in the home". Nobuko last year published a book entitled 'What on Earth will change in Japan after you become prime minister?', which said Kan lacked dress sense, could not cook and had badly flunked delivering his first policy speech. Nobuko said she would not marry Kan again if she was reborn. "I wouldn't do it another time. The reason is that I have already lived this life and it's not fun to repeat the same thing. I would want to have a totally different life," said the unconventional first lady. Kan took power in June last year as Japan's fifth premier in four years. Public support ratings for Kan's cabinet have since tumbled to below 30 percent, amid public discontent over his centre-left government's management of economic and foreign affairs. Nobuko quipped that she had told Kan there is a limit to just how bad things can get, telling him: "There is no such thing as a support rate below zero." "Both of us may be too easy-going... but it is impossible (for Kan) to quit only because of low support ratings or bullying-like criticism," she said. The couple, who are cousins, have been married for 40 years and have two sons who are both in their 30s. (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
言辭犀利的日本首相夫人菅伸子本周三稱,如果有來(lái)生,她不會(huì)選擇再嫁給菅直人。日本首相菅直人正為與政敵斗爭(zhēng)以及低迷的支持率頭疼不已,而首相夫人則在此時(shí)向他展示出自己的“嚴(yán)愛”。 日本首相夫人菅伸子現(xiàn)年65歲,以直言不諱著稱。她坦承自己不是那種通過鼓勵(lì)來(lái)支持丈夫的妻子。 在被問及當(dāng)丈夫面對(duì)來(lái)自媒體和反對(duì)黨的指責(zé)時(shí)如何支持他時(shí),菅伸子告訴記者:“我寧可責(zé)罵他。但如果覺得過于嚴(yán)厲,我也會(huì)適當(dāng)緩和語(yǔ)氣?!?/p> 菅伸子說:“他經(jīng)常去議會(huì),還告訴我,‘我討厭在議會(huì)上受指責(zé),但這比和你爭(zhēng)論容易多了?!?菅直人稱夫人是“家中的反對(duì)派”。 菅伸子在去年出版的名為《你當(dāng)首相,日本會(huì)有何變化?》的書中羅列了丈夫的諸多缺點(diǎn),比如穿衣品味差、不會(huì)做飯、首次施政演說也很失敗等等。 菅伸子直言下輩子不會(huì)嫁給菅直人。 這位現(xiàn)代派首相夫人說:“我不會(huì)再嫁給他了。因?yàn)樯陷呑幼鲞^的事再重復(fù)就沒有樂趣了,我希望下輩子能過上一種完全不同的生活?!?/p> 菅直人去年6月就任日本首相,成為日本近4年來(lái)的第5任首相。 由于對(duì)左派政府的經(jīng)濟(jì)和外交政策不滿,菅直人內(nèi)閣的民眾支持率暴跌至30%以下。 菅伸子打趣稱,她已經(jīng)告訴丈夫,事情變?cè)憧傆袀€(gè)限度,“支持率總不可能跌成負(fù)數(shù)吧”。 她說:“我倆也許都太隨和了,但是菅直人不可能僅僅因?yàn)橹С致实兔曰蛘咝U橫的批評(píng)就辭職?!?/p> 菅伸子和丈夫是表親,結(jié)婚已有40年,兩個(gè)兒子都已經(jīng)年過30。 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 Julie 編輯:馮明惠) |
Vocabulary: pull punches: to act with restraint or hold back the full force or implications of something(委婉地批評(píng),謹(jǐn)慎地行事) grill: to subject to severe and persistent cross-examination or questioning(盤問,責(zé)問) |