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World - Asia/Pacific

Japanese homemaker takes center stage by asking Clinton about Lewinsky

Tokyo town hall meeting
A Japanese homemaker takes the spotlight by putting the heat on Clinton  
 
 ALSO:
Clinton to confer on economy, security in S. Korea

'I worried a little that it might be impolite'

November 20, 1998
Web posted at: 10:57 p.m. EST (0357 GMT)

From Correspondent Marina Kamimura

TOKYO (CNN) -- For a few brief moments this week, Hatsue Dobashi took the world's stage, asking U.S. President Bill Clinton a very blunt question during a town hall meeting on Japanese television.

How did he apologize to his wife and daughter for his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, and did they forgive him? "I feel I would never be able to forgive my husband for doing that," she volunteered.

"I did it in a direct and straightforward manner, and I believe they did, yes," Clinton replied.

Dobashi is a homemaker from Osaka, about a three-hour train ride from Tokyo. Though Japanese society is known for rigid politeness, Osaka residents have a reputation for being a little more direct than most Japanese.

"My heart was pounding, and I worried a little that it might be an impolite question," said Dobashi. "Then I thought, 'I'll never have a chance like this in my lifetime.' So I gathered up my courage and asked the question."

Dobashi said she and her husband have talked about the issue of infidelity.

"He travels often on business and is a man, after all," she said. "He says he wouldn't do such a thing, but I tell him, 'You never know.'"

"He usually says, 'What about you?' We just joke about it," she says.

Dobashi's 84-year-old mother-in-law echoes her thoughts, saying she wouldn't forgive her son, either, if he had an affair.

Dobashi said she has been able to forgive her husband for his sins, which she says amount to late-night drinking binges with his friends and all-night video game sessions on his personal computer.

As for Clinton, she says his answer to her question has improved his standing in her eyes.

"Before the town hall meeting, as a housewife, I didn't have a good image of him," she said. "I kept wondering how he could do such a thing. But after the meeting, I became a fan again."

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