The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winner is Japan's Health Minister, Hakuo Yanagisawa. He gets the award for the following.

Japan’s health minister provoked fury when he referred to women as “child-bearing machines” in a speech intended to address the country’s drastically declining birth rate.

Hakuo Yanagisawa, 71, embarrassed the Government of Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister, in a speech delivered on Saturday, which was immediately attacked by women and opposition politicians.

“The number of women aged between 15 and 50 is fixed,” he told the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the city of Matsue. “Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can ask is for them to do their best per head.”

Before his speech was over, Mr Yanagisawa seemed to realise that he caused offence. “I’m sorry to call them machines,” he said afterwards.

Eminent women reacted angrily. “His remarks were the worst possible and should not have been made,” said Mizuho Fukushima, the woman head of the opposition Social Democratic Party. “We cannot tolerate a Cabinet with such a minister.” The controversy goes to the heart of the debate about one of Japan’s most intractable social problems — the disinclination of its women to have children.

No question, Japan is facing a population crisis. One which at the country's present birthrate would cause the country's population to be cut in half by 2100. The Minister is right about there being a problem, but as Captain Ed said he made himself sound like an idiot with his choice of words. Women(or men) are not machines, but complex human beings. Maybe Hakuo Yanagisawa needs to brush up on his biology but first I make him today's Knucklehead of the Day.

Hat tip- Basil's Blog, Cao's Blog, Jo's Cafe, Mark My Words, Pirate's Cove, Right Wing Nation, Third World County,