SAITAMA (TR) – Lawmaker Sayuri Uenishi, 34, received death threats following her harsh comments on Twitter about the Urawa Reds soccer club, which lost a friendly to Borussia Dortmund over the weekend, reports Daily Sports (July 17).
On Monday, the office of Uenishi, a member of the lower house of the Diet, confirmed that it received several messages via fax and email, believed to be from Urawa fans, in which the contents mentioned “killing” the lawmaker.
On Saturday, the Reds fell to Borussia Dortmund 3-2 at Saitama Stadium in Saitama City. A late strike by Andre Schurrle proved to be the winning goal.
After the match, Uenishi took to Twitter (@uenishi_sayuri) to express her displeasure with the loss. “It was a terrible defeat for Urawa,” she wrote. “I guess it was a friendly in which they just played around.”
Fans quickly came to the club’s defense. “Please tell me who was playing on that pitch!” wrote @URAWAisMylife. “Everyone, let’s remove [this stain] during the next election,” added @hinaponchi555. Another user (@soccer__reds ) posted the phone number of Uenishi’s office.
The office of Uenishi was planning to approach the Urawa club about the incident on Tuesday. “We would like to set up a forum where the lawmaker can talk with supporters directly,” the office told Daily Sports. The office already consulted with police on Monday.
Funneled political funds
Uenishi is an Osaka native. In 2012, she won a seat in House of Representatives election. Two years later, she was re-elected.
In 2015, Uenishi, at the time a member of the Japan Innovation Party, made headlines over allegations that she funneled political funds to her father. After she was expelled from the party, she penned an autobiography that includes photographs of the lawmaker lounging in a number of seductive poses and outfits.