I couldn’t make this up if I tried.

Usually, former heads of state spend their retirement years creating foundations and libraries, knocking a few holes back on the golf course, or, depending on the country of course, occasionally getting trussed up for war crimes. But Junichiro Koizumi — the former prime minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006 — has a different gig lined up.

He’s going to be Ultraman King.

Time reports that Koizumi will be lending his voice to the upcoming Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend, the Movie. Ultraman King is seen as the elder “god” of all the Ultra heroes. In this film, King will give a rousing speech to the heroes, urging them to press on.

According to Time, representatives from the producers have said “Koizumi, as a former national leader, is the only person who has the presence to deliver such a pivotal address in the film.” Koizumi apparently first turned down the role, only to have his 28-year-old son Shinjiro convince him to take the part.  “[The role] is not related to politics, so it should be okay,” he told the former statesman.

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