A 47-year old lawmaker from Western Japan has become an Internet phenomenon for a trainwreck of a news conference in which he cries like a bratty toddler and tries in vain to explain his apparent misuse of public funds for repeated trips to an Onsen, or hot springs resort.

It’s hard to know what to make of Ryutaro Nonomura, who wails and bangs his fists on the desk as tears stream down his face.  In between really, really uncomfortable sobs, the Hyogo Prefectural assembly member throws out nonsense excuses for his conduct, such as “I was trying to change society!” and “I have staked my life, don’t you understand?”  He also made a number of bizarre outbursts, at one point yelling, “Ageing population isn’t only a problem in our prefecture!”

He’s accused of blowing through more than $30,000 of public money in travel expenses to hot springs resorts spread out around the western Kansai area.

If the social media reaction is any indication, this guy needn’t bother to even try to run for reelection.