A masked wrestler will be permitted to keep his mask on during council sessions in Japan.
Billyken Kid was elected to the Kawanishi Municipal Assembly in Hyogo Prefecture last month. He campaigned with his mask on and won by a landslide.
In the Assembly, there were no rules on record about whether a city council member can wear a mask during meetings.
Those supporting Kid claimed voters elected him with his mask on so he should also sit in the Assembly with his mask on.
Those who were against stated that he had conducted public appearances without his mask on before and that wearing a mask muddies the waters of his identity when he is a public official.
A majority vote approved of him keeping his mask on in the Assembly if Kid wishes to.
“My dream has come true. There are opposing views, but I hope to earn recognition through my actions as a council member going forward,” Kid told The Mainichi.
Billyken Kid, 52, has wrestled for NJPW, Michinoku Pro, NOAH, DDT but is mostly known for his work in All Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Back in 2021 in Japan, Oita Municipal Assembly member Skull Reaper A-ji was ready to sue the council for not allowing him to wear his mask. The Assembly voted against him wearing his mask and he was forced to attend meetings unmasked.
“It is a suicidal act for a masked wrestler to show his real face in public,” A-ji asserted to the Mainichi. He added, “I have been discriminated against due to my occupation and have been harassed for eight years.”
He sued the Assembly for 5 million yen ($45,000 USD) in damages and the right to have his masked photograph published in official council materials. Although his photograph now appears on the city’s official website the final outcome of the lawsuit has not been established in publicly available reporting.
“Wearing a mask is an identity and falls under freedom of political expression. Not making it public is discrimination against me compared to other lawmakers….I think there are people who can’t say what they want to say or who want to speak out but can’t. I want to be a catalyst that makes it easier for those people to be active,” he said to Weekly Fight Miruhon at the time.
