Suprapartisan lawmakers call for further gov’t support for ‘Rakugo’ artists during pandemic

A group of cross-party Dietmembers, including Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira (3rd from left), submitted to Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu (4th from right) a written request calling for an increase in financial support for the survival of the traditional Japanese storytelling art “Rakugo” amid the ongoing pandemic. Famous “Rakugo” artist Sanshotei Yumetaro (4th from left) joined the petitioning. (Feb.24/2021, Tokyo)