No, I'm not saying that the Prime Minister of Japan is a big proponent of a specific brand of lubricant -- the term commonly means "kuuki yomenai;" It means that the person can't really read the situation and is a bit oblivious. In this case, Taro Aso has proved himself a different form of KY: "kanji yomenai" (can't read kanji). In a recent press conference, he repeatedly mispronounced words that high school and college-age students should be able to read.

TokyoMango has the best list of reactions to the event, with politicians saying:

"The guy needs furigana (captions deciphering kanji) on all his speeches," one politician mocked. "What an embarrassment that the guy who represents Japan to the world can't read Japanese!" another rightfully declared. When approached by a team of reporters on this subject, Aso deflected. "I just misread, that's all," he said hastily, and then shuffled away from the podium.

I want to say I feel bad for Aso, simply because I know how difficult kanji is. I have plenty of trouble with reading, and that's on a fairly basic level. A single page of a book can take me a half hour if I really want to understand all of it. But on the other hand, Aso is Japanese, so he's dealt with this all his life. I can understand that some people just "don't get it," but he's been a notable politician. I would think if he's going to spend any time improving himself, it'd be this.

But then again, it's not going to affect his policy-making, it's just a social faux-pas. It certainly makes me feel better about screwing up how to read kanji.