Seijigiri #21: Yasukuni and the Tokyo Gubernatorial Election
In this edition of Seijigiri, we start by discussion the abating of the ‘comfort women’ issue and the return of the Yasukuni Shrine issue. We then move on to the meat of this week’s program, which is to take a look at Tokyo’s upcoming gubernatorial election. One of the issues discussed in this section is the candidates’ use of media in their campaigns. The Yomiuri has recently reported that campaign speeches published, broadcast or uploaded to the internet may be in violation of election laws.
In total, there are 14 candidates on the ballot for the April 8 Tokyo Governor’s election. Of these, only one is officially backed by one of Japan’s major political parties. Since this year’s election boasts a wide range of colorful characters, we thought it would be best to provide a brief introduction of them to our readers. So, starting off with the incumbent, here they are - The 14 candidates for the 2007 Governor’s Election in Tokyo (after the “Read on” tag):
More information and pictures of the candidates from the Asahi Shimbun (Japanese.)
Shintaro Ishihara - 石原 慎太郎
74 years old
No official party affiliation (formerly Liberal Democratic Party, backed by LDP)
Currently: Governor of Tokyo
Website: www.sensenfukoku.net
No candidate is more well recognized than current governor Shintaro Ishihara. Born in Kobe, a graduate of Tokyo’s Hitosubashi University and the older brother of singer Yujiro Ishihara, Shintaro was awarded the Akutagawa prize in fiction writing in 1956. In the 1960s he worked in theatre, traveled to the North Pole and worked as a reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun. He was elected to the Upper House as an LDP member in 1968 and served there for four years before being elected to the Lower House, where he served until 1995.
Although Ishihara ran for Governor of Tokyo unsuccessfully in 1975, in 1999 he won as an independent candidate. He is now seeking his third consecutive term in office. One major plank of his campaign is to bring the Olympics back to Tokyo in 2016. He is also the screenwriter of 「俺は、君のためにこそ死ににいく」 (I am going to die for you), a film about Kamikaze pilots that is set for a May 12 nationwide release in Japan.
Shiro Asano - 浅野 史郎
59 years old
No official party affiliation (formerly Democratic Party of Japan, backed by DPJ)
Formerly: Governor of Miyagi Prefecture
Currently: Professor of Public Policy at Keio University & University of Tohoku
Website: www.asanoshiro.org
Kisho Kurokawa - 黒川 紀
73 years old
Symbiosis New Party (self-funded)
Currently: President of Kisho Kurokawa Architect & Associates, creator of “Metabolic” architecture
Website: www.kisho.co.jp
Manzo Yoshida - 吉田 万三
59 years old
Japan Communist Party
Formerly: Mayor of Adachi Ward in Tokyo
Currently: Dentist
Website: www.manzo-y.jp
Setsuo Yamaguchi - 山口 節生
57 years old
No official party affiliation
Currently: Real estate agent
Website: setuo.ld.infoseek.co.jp
Kouichi Toyama - 外山 恒一
36 years old
No official party affiliation
Currently: Street musician, You Tube phenom
Website: www.warewaredan.com
Yoshiro “Doctor” Nakamatsu - ドクター・中松
78 years old (almost exactly middle-aged, as he’s going to live to be 144 thanks to “Yummy Nutri Brain Food,” which he invented)
No official party affiliation
Currently: Ig Nobel Prize-winning Inventor, Teacher of Philosophy at University of Tokyo
Website: www.dr.nakamats.com
Profile on Brainsturbator
Mitsuru Takahashi - 高橋 満
61 years old
No official party affiliation
Currently: Taxi driver who apparently takes a lot of extra shifts
Sutoku Sasaki - 佐々木 崇徳
64 years old
No official party affiliation
Currently: Retired Osaka Police Officer
Kinzo Sakura - 桜 金
50 years old
No official party affiliation
Currently: Bald Taarento, Comedian
Ryuho Takashima - 高島 龍峰
71 years old
No official party affiliation
Currently: Fortune teller with sketchy mustache
Kumiko Uchikawa - 内川 久美子
49 years old
No official party affiliation
Currently: Feng shui-ist
Osamu Ogami - 雄上 統
65 years old
No official party affiliation
Currently: Writer
Previous Postwar Governors:
Ishihara (incumbent) 1999 - present
Yukio Aoshima 1995-99
Shunichi Suzuki 1979-95
Ryokichi Minobe 1967-79
Ryutaro Azuma 1959-67
Seichiro Yasui 1947-59
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