A Japanese lawmaker broke a long-standing taboo and drew heavy criticism, by handing Emperor Akihito a letter of concern over the effect the Fukushima nuclear disaster will have on childrens’ health.

“I wanted to directly tell the emperor of the current situation,” said Taro Yamamoto, an independent in the Upper House, of his apparent breach of protocol.  “I wanted him to know about the children who have been contaminated by radiation. If this goes on, there will be serious health impacts.”

This happened at a garden party in Tokyo, in which guests wore their finest long-tailed tuxedos.  Akihito glanced at the letter, briefly chatted, and passed it off to his chamberlain before moving along.  The 80-year old royal plays a purely ceremonial role, and is supposed to be above politics.  Although one could argue that children getting sick from radiation spewing from a triple meltdown shouldn’t be a political issue.

Some Internet critics called on Yamamoto to resign, and the government’s chief cabinet secretary implied a line of propriety had been crossed. 

(By the way, before he was a politician, Taro Yamamoto was an actor and appeared in films by two of the world’s greatest directors, Seijun Suzuki and Kinji Fukusaku.)