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Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Really Wishes Resigning Politician Would Take Off the Evangelion Tie

Neon Genesis Evangelion original character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto really wishes Japan's Reconstruction Minister would do him a solid and take off his Evangelion tie. Masahiro Imamura made headlines earlier this month for getting into a tiff with a journalist over his handling of voluntary evacuees and their needs. During his heated exchange, Imamura was wearing a tie depicting characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion, which he received as a gift while visiting Ganaix's Fukushima office.

While Sadamoto isn't asking that Imamura return the gift, he sure wishes he'd quit wearing it. Sadamoto wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, "You don't have to wear the tie with the pictures I drew on it at the conference!"

The minister wore the tie again on Wednesday while announcing he resigned from his position. Fukushima native and former senior vice environment minister Masayoshi Yoshino is filling the vacancy.

Eager to promote local companies from the still-struggling Fukushima area, Imamura has worn the tie many times since January. He had earlier attracted notice for wearing it in a House of Councillors Budget Committee meeting on February 28, when he chose to use it because he was sitting in full view of the TV cameras. He even made a point to show it off to Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and Finance Minister Tarō Asō, whom he swears looked envious. And yes, he has seen the anime, although only "a little." He claims it makes his grandkid embarrassed.

Imamura's resignation comes on the heels of more comments he made on Tuesday where he said that it was fortunate that the Tohoku region was struck by the disaster in 2011 instead of areas near Tokyo, since the latter would cause an "enormous amount of [financial] damage." The comments were made at a party and caught on video which was later aired on NHK. Imamura apologized for the statement but backlash was heavy, some calling for Imamura to never return to the Tohoku area.

Source: Reiji Yoshida at The Japan Times, Hachima Kikō