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▼ Former Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara Dies At 89
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Author and former Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara, who left his mark on Japanese politics as a staunch hawk and whose nationalistic views often ruffled the feathers of Japan's neighbors, has died, a source close to him said Tuesday. He was 89.
The novelist-turned politician, who also served as a lawmaker in the Diet, provoked a bitter diplomatic row between Japan and China in 2012 by announcing a plan for the Tokyo metropolitan government to buy a major part of the disputed Senkaku Islands, claimed by China, from a private Japanese owner.
The plan led to the central government eventually buying the three uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, resulting in a freeze in bilateral relations.
Ishihara also hoped that the U.S.-drafted Constitution would be rewritten by Japan. The same passion was apparently behind his return to national politics late into his life in 2012 after his 13-year stint as Tokyo governor.
During a political career spanning nearly 50 years, Ishihara spent many years as a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker and assumed several cabinet posts before turning to take the helm of Japan's capital.
After quitting as governor, he led a tiny party which merged into, but later broke with, what was then a rising opposition party, but retired from politics with the loss of his Diet seat in the December 2014 general election.
Ishihara's family is sometimes referred to as the Kennedys of Japan, as Ishihara's eldest son, Nobuteru, is a former lower house member who has served as environment minister, while his third son, Hirotaka, is a lower house member. His second son, Yoshizumi, is a TV personality and his fourth son, Nobuhiro, is a painter.
Born in Kobe on Sept 30, 1932, Ishihara made a name for himself as an up-and-coming writer, winning the prestigious Akutagawa Award in 1956 for his novel "Taiyo no Kisetsu" (The Season of the Sun), which he wrote a year earlier at the age of 22 when he was a student at Tokyo's Hitotsubashi University.
The book became a best seller and created a social sensation, inspiring many to imitate the bohemian lifestyle depicted in the novel. His younger brother Yujiro, one of Japan's top film stars, who remains immensely popular decades after his death in 1987 at age 52, made his debut as an actor in a film adaptation of the novel.
Ishihara stirred up international controversy with the publication of his 1989 book "The Japan That Can Say No," which he co-authored with then Sony Corp Chairman Akio Morita. In the book he said Japan should tell the United States that it can protect itself and consider canceling the bilateral security treaty.
He entered politics in 1968 at age 35 with election to the House of Councillors, winning an unprecedented three million votes from the national constituency after covering the Vietnam War for major Japanese daily the Yomiuri Shimbun from 1966 to 1967.
In his books, Ishihara said the experience motivated him to consider the future of Japan and become a lawmaker.
Ishihara switched to the House of Representatives in 1972 and later served as chief the then Environment Agency and transport minister in LDP governments but abruptly resigned during his eighth term in April 1995, citing despair over Japanese politics.
After he was first elected Tokyo governor in 1999, Ishihara pushed forward such initiatives as the introduction of a new tax system for major banks and strict diesel vehicle exhaust regulations.
As governor, Ishihara bid to host the Olympics in Tokyo in the summer of 2016, but the International Olympic Committee chose Rio de Janeiro instead. He later entered a bid to host the 2020 Olympics, which ultimately proved successful under his successor, Naoki Inose.
In October 2012, Ishihara announced his resignation as governor to found a new party and return to national politics.
Winning in a general election in December that year, he served his ninth term in the lower chamber until he lost in the election two years later.
Ishihara authored numerous books, including a 2016 best seller "Tensai" (Genius), a biographical novel about former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, written as a monolog of one of the most popular and controversial politicians in postwar Japan.
He was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, a Japanese order, in 2015.
© KYODO
The novelist-turned politician, who also served as a lawmaker in the Diet, provoked a bitter diplomatic row between Japan and China in 2012 by announcing a plan for the Tokyo metropolitan government to buy a major part of the disputed Senkaku Islands, claimed by China, from a private Japanese owner.
The plan led to the central government eventually buying the three uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, resulting in a freeze in bilateral relations.
Ishihara also hoped that the U.S.-drafted Constitution would be rewritten by Japan. The same passion was apparently behind his return to national politics late into his life in 2012 after his 13-year stint as Tokyo governor.
During a political career spanning nearly 50 years, Ishihara spent many years as a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker and assumed several cabinet posts before turning to take the helm of Japan's capital.
After quitting as governor, he led a tiny party which merged into, but later broke with, what was then a rising opposition party, but retired from politics with the loss of his Diet seat in the December 2014 general election.
Ishihara's family is sometimes referred to as the Kennedys of Japan, as Ishihara's eldest son, Nobuteru, is a former lower house member who has served as environment minister, while his third son, Hirotaka, is a lower house member. His second son, Yoshizumi, is a TV personality and his fourth son, Nobuhiro, is a painter.
Born in Kobe on Sept 30, 1932, Ishihara made a name for himself as an up-and-coming writer, winning the prestigious Akutagawa Award in 1956 for his novel "Taiyo no Kisetsu" (The Season of the Sun), which he wrote a year earlier at the age of 22 when he was a student at Tokyo's Hitotsubashi University.
The book became a best seller and created a social sensation, inspiring many to imitate the bohemian lifestyle depicted in the novel. His younger brother Yujiro, one of Japan's top film stars, who remains immensely popular decades after his death in 1987 at age 52, made his debut as an actor in a film adaptation of the novel.
Ishihara stirred up international controversy with the publication of his 1989 book "The Japan That Can Say No," which he co-authored with then Sony Corp Chairman Akio Morita. In the book he said Japan should tell the United States that it can protect itself and consider canceling the bilateral security treaty.
He entered politics in 1968 at age 35 with election to the House of Councillors, winning an unprecedented three million votes from the national constituency after covering the Vietnam War for major Japanese daily the Yomiuri Shimbun from 1966 to 1967.
In his books, Ishihara said the experience motivated him to consider the future of Japan and become a lawmaker.
Ishihara switched to the House of Representatives in 1972 and later served as chief the then Environment Agency and transport minister in LDP governments but abruptly resigned during his eighth term in April 1995, citing despair over Japanese politics.
After he was first elected Tokyo governor in 1999, Ishihara pushed forward such initiatives as the introduction of a new tax system for major banks and strict diesel vehicle exhaust regulations.
As governor, Ishihara bid to host the Olympics in Tokyo in the summer of 2016, but the International Olympic Committee chose Rio de Janeiro instead. He later entered a bid to host the 2020 Olympics, which ultimately proved successful under his successor, Naoki Inose.
In October 2012, Ishihara announced his resignation as governor to found a new party and return to national politics.
Winning in a general election in December that year, he served his ninth term in the lower chamber until he lost in the election two years later.
Ishihara authored numerous books, including a 2016 best seller "Tensai" (Genius), a biographical novel about former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka, written as a monolog of one of the most popular and controversial politicians in postwar Japan.
He was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, a Japanese order, in 2015.
© KYODO
- February 1, 2022
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