The Mayor of Osaka, Japan survived a censure vote over his ugly comments rationalizing Imperial Japan’s use of foreign “comfort women” during World War II.

At first, four parties agreed on a non-binding censure measure, with only Hashimoto’s nationalist Japan Restoration standing in defense of the mayor. 

But the New Komeito Party changed its vote, apparently because Hashimoto had threatened to resign which would have forced new elections in the city and across Osaka Prefecture.  New Komeito is aligned with the conservative Soka Gakkai Buddhist sect; imagine the Catholic Church or the Southern Baptists having its own party, that’s pretty much what you get with New Komeito.

But the lingering presence of Hashimoto in national politics is damaging Japan’s relations with its neighbors and its great protector the United States.  The Osaka mayor had been scheduled to travel to the US and meet with officials in sister cities.  That trip has been canceled with Hashimoto admitting that no one was going to see him or be seen with him.

The Pentagon and State Department had already condemned Hashimoto’s idiotic and offensive statement that all militaries abused women on the scale that Japan did during World War II.

South Korea cancelled some cultural events in protest.  And Japan’s greatest economic rival China has kept a cool head while continuing its economic expansion, partially at Japan’s expense.

Hashimoto has said he will step down as leader of the party he founded if it fails to perform in elections in July.