Every year, the Japanese language expands to include buzzwords and slogans that newscasters and gossipers haphazardly adopted. Check out Pink Tentacle's wonderful translation/explanation of the top 60:
6. Cabinet of friends [o-tomodachi naikaku - お友達内閣]: “Cabinet of friends” was used to describe former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s first Cabinet, which was criticized for being filled with old friends who were not seen as competent to serve as ministers. By the time Abe got around to reshuffling his Cabinet in August, three scandal-ridden buddies had been forced to resign and another had committed suicide before being questioned about financial irregularities. [More]
9. Madame Sushi [マダム・スシ]: When giving a lecture during a visit to Washington, former defense minister Yuriko Koike said to the audience: “Some people call me the ‘Japanese Rice’ after Madame Secretary Rice. Why don’t you call me ‘Madame Sushi’?” In Japan, ‘rice’ means ’sushi.’ [Video]
35. Tetsuko [鉄子]: The unhealthy obsession with trains has long been a predominantly male pursuit, but the numbers of female train otaku — known as “Tetsuko” — are on the rise. [More]
36. Disguised beef (disguised meat) [minchi gisou (gisou shokuniku)]: The Hokkaido-based Meat Hope Co. admitted to adding pork and chicken to its ground beef products to cut production costs. [More]
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