# 増税メガネ
## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 増 | 税 |
| ぞう Grade: 5 | ぜい Grade: 5 |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spellings
* 增稅メガネ (kyūjitai) 増税眼鏡

### Etymology

From 増税(ぞうぜい) (zōzei, “tax increase”) + 眼鏡(めがね) (megane, “eye glasses”), in reference to Kishida’s proposals to increase government spending and the fact that he wears glasses.

### Proper noun

増(ぞう)税(ぜい)メガネ • (Zōzei Megane)
* (informal, humorous, derogatory) Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan from October 2021 to October 2024
** 2023 October 7, Kono Masayuki, “Minna no hiroba: ‘Zōzei Megane’ kokumin no ikari tozen [Public square: Naturally citizens are angry at ‘Zōzei Megane’]”, in Mainichi Shimbun, page 8:
    国(こく)民(みん)が岸(きし)田(だ)文(ふみ)雄(お)首(しゅ)相(しょう)につけた不(ふ)名(めい)誉(よ)なあだ名(な)「増(ぞう)税(ぜい)メガネ」。最(さい)近(きん)、気(き)にし始(はじ)め、岸(きし)田(だ)首(しゅ)相(しょう)は「しかめ面(つら)」をしたという。
       Kokumin ga Kishida Fumio Shushō ni tsuketa fumeiyo na adana “Zōzei Megane”. Saikin, ki ni shihajime, Kishida Shushō wa “shikame tsura” o shita to iu.
       Citizens have given Prime Minister Fumio Kishida the disparaging nickname “Zōzei Megane” (four-eyed tax-raiser). Recently, Kishida is said to have taken notice and “frowned” about it.
** 2023 October 19, Yamazaki Gen, “Kishida Shushō wa naze ‘Zōzei Megane’ to yobareru no ka [Why is Prime Minister Kishda called ‘Zōzei Megane’]”, in Yahoo News‎, Diamond Online, archived from the original on 2 November 2023:
    岸(きし)田(だ)文(ふみ)雄(お)首(しゅ)相(しょう)が「増(ぞう)税(ぜい)メガネ」というあだ名(な)で呼(よ)ばれているのを記(き)事(じ)やSNSで見(み)かける機(き)会(かい)が増(ふ)えてきた。岸(きし)田(だ)首(しゅ)相(しょう)本(ほん)人(にん)がまだ増(ぞう)税(ぜい)したわけではないのに、なぜ「増(ぞう)税(ぜい)」をあだ名(な)にされるのか。
       Kishida Fumio Shushō ga “Zōzei Megane” to iu adana de yobarete-iru no o kiji ya SNS de mikakeru kikai ga fuete-kita. Kishida shushō honnin ga mada zōzei shita wake de wa nai no ni, naze “zōzei” o adana ni sareru no ka.
       Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is increasingly referred to with the nickname “Zōzei Megane” in news reports and social media. Since Kishida himself has not yet attempted to raise taxes, why is zōzei “tax hike” part of the nickname?
** 2023 October 25, Obayashi Nao, “Nenshū no kabe, doronawa taiō no seiken ni kugi [Tax problem, late response another nail in the administration]”, in Nikkei Sokuhō:
    首(しゅ)相(しょう)の諮(し)問(もん)機(き)関(かん)である政(せい)府(ふ)税(ぜい)制(せい)調(ちょう)査(さ)会(かい)が6(ろく)月(がつ)の中(ちゅう)期(き)答(とう)申(しん)で、会(かい)社(しゃ)員(いん)の通(つう)勤(きん)費(ひ)を課(か)税(ぜい)対(たい)象(しょう)候(こう)補(ほ)の一(ひと)つとして例(れい)示(じ)したのをきっかけに、ソーシャルメディアのインフルエンサーが首(しゅ)相(しょう)を「増(ぞう)税(ぜい)眼(め)鏡(がね)」などと揶(や)揄(ゆ)した。この汚(お)名(めい)をすすごうと、首(しゅ)相(しょう)自(じ)身(しん)が減(げん)税(ぜい)実(じつ)現(げん)を強(つよ)くめざしているとの見(み)方(かた)がある。
       Shushō no shimon kikan dearu Seifu Zeisei Chōsakai ga rokugatsu no chūki tōshin de, kaishain no tsūkin hi o kazei taishō kōho no hitotsu to shite reiji shita no o kikkake ni, sōsharu media no infuruensā ga Shushō o “Zōzei Megane” nado to yayu shita. Kono omei o susugō to, Shushō jishin ga genzei jitsugen o tsuyoku mezashite-iru to no mikata ga aru.
       The Prime Minister’s advisory board, the Government Tax Commission, in June suggested taxing corporate employee’s commuting allowances as one way to raise funds, leading social media influencers to ridicule the Prime Minister as “Zōzei Megane”. It is believed that the Prime Minister himself is now trying to cut taxes in order to shed this nickname.
** 2024 May 27, Tomoki Kaneko, “Seiji fushin o koeru [Distrust of government growing]”, in Nihon Keizai Shimbun, page 16:
    これらのメディアでは、「増税(ぞうぜい)メガネ」に象徴(しょうちょう)されるような岸田首相(きしだしゅしょう)への批判投稿(ひはんとうこう)が多(おお)く流通(りゅうつう)している。また、面白(おもしろ)おかしく政治(せいじ)を皮肉(ひにく)るショート動画(どうが)や、インフルエンサーによる政治批評(せいじひひょう)を切(き)り抜(ぬ)いた動画(どうが)も閲覧数(えつらんすう)を稼(かせ)いでいる。
       Korera no media de wa, “Zōzei Megane” ni shōchō sareru yō na Kishida Shushō e no hihan tōkō ga ōku ryūtsū shiteiru. Mata, omoshiro okashiku seiji o hinikuru shōto dōga ya, infuruensā ni yoru seiji hihyō o kiri nuita dōga mo etsuran sū o kaseideiru.
       Typical of this media are the many posts calling Prime Minister Kishida “Zōzei Megane”. Likewise, humorous short videos satirizing the government as well as clips collecting influencers’ criticisms of the government rack up large view counts.
** 2024 August 15, “Kishida Shushō: Shushō taijin hyōmei ‘Kukumin futanzō, kibishikatta’ [Prime Minister Kishida announces resignation: ‘Burden on the people severe’]”, in Mainichi Shimbun, page 19:
    一方(いっぽう)、国民負担(こくみんふたん)を背景(はいけい)に「増税(ぞうぜい)メガネ」というあだ名(な)が付(つ)いたことで厳(きび)しい政権運営(せいけんうんえい)を迫(せま)られたと指摘(してき)。
       Ippō, kokumin futan o haikei ni “Zōzei Megane” to iu adana ga tsuita koto de kibishī seiken un'ei o semarareta to shiteki.
       But, he pointed out that his cabinet operated amid severe national debt, which earned him the nickname “Zōzei Megane”.
** 2024 October 22, “(2024-nen saishin) Kishida seiken ga keitaku suru 14 no suterusu zōzei ichiran! [(2024 update) Summary of 14 stealth tax increases planned by Kishida administration!]”, in Tokyo Restyle‎, archived from the original on 2025-01-16:
    上(あ)がり続(つづ)ける国民負担率(こくみんふたんりつ)になぞらえ「増税(ぞうぜい)メガネ」と呼(よ)ばれ始(はじ)めた岸田首相(きしだしゅしょう)が、この記事(きじ)で紹介(しょうかい)したような「ステルス増税(ぞうぜい)」をことごとく進(すす)めていることから、新(あら)たに「ステルス増税(ぞうぜい)メガネ」とも呼(よ)ばれるようになってしまいました。
       Agari tsuzukeru kokumin futan ritsu ni nazorae “Zōzei Megane” to yobare hajimeta Kishida shushō ga, kono kiji de shōkai shita yō na “suterusu zōzei” o kotogotoku susumeteiru koto kara, arata ni “Suterusu Zōzei Megane” to mo yobareru yō ni natteshimaimashita.
       Prime Minister Kishida, who came to be called “Zōzei Megane” for the ever-rising rate of national debt, in light of the “stealth tax hikes” described here should also be called “Stealth Zōzei Megane”.