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Tokyo’s Firebrand Governor Quits to Form New National Party
Tokyo’s Firebrand Governor Quits to Form New National Party
(about 9 hours later)
TOKYO — Shintaro Ishihara, the firebrand governor of Tokyo whose obsession with a set of disputed islands prompted Japan’s latest spat with China, declared on Thursday that he was quitting local politics to start a national party, a move that could escalate the territorial dispute and shift allegiances in Japan’s soon-to-be-called elections.
TOKYO — Shintaro Ishihara, the firebrand governor of Tokyo whose vocal campaign to secure a set of disputed islands provoked a damaging dispute with China, declared Thursday that he was quitting local politics to start a national party, a move that could win him some say in shaping policy and escalate the territorial dispute.
Mr. Ishihara, an 80-year-old nationalist politician, who has said that Japan should develop nuclear weapons and abandon its pacifist Constitution, has scarce hope of building a party big enough to form a government. But with polls suggesting no clear winner in elections that must be called by August, even a small upstart could use a swing position to punch above its weight and to wreak havoc with foreign policy.
Mr. Ishihara, a nationalist politician who has said that Japan should develop nuclear weapons and abandon its pacifist Constitution, is considered too far right of the populace to build a party big enough to form a government. But with polls suggesting no clear winner in elections that must be called by August, Mr. Ishihara could potentially become an influential player in a coalition government and push its leaders to take a more nationalistic stance.
Mr. Ishihara said at a news conference in Tokyo that he intended to join forces with two other small nationalist parties — including one recently formed by the populist mayor of Osaka, Toru Hashimoto — to challenge what he characterized as feckless politicking by the governing Democratic Party and its main opposition, the Liberal Democratic Party.
Some analysts acknowledged Mr. Ishihara’s potential to become a kingmaker, but said the electoral politics remain very fluid.
Mr. Ishihara wasted no time Thursday in hurling insults at China and South Korea, referring to them with derisive terms that Japan used during its colonization of much of East Asia in the early 20th century. He said Japan should do more to develop its natural resources so it can “stop bowing to the will of” its giant neighbor.
“If elections are called before the end of the year, he could become the eye of the storm,” Hirotada Asakawa, an independent political analyst, told the daily Kanagawa Shimbun. But he said that if the election were delayed, Mr. Ishihara could be exposed to more criticism of his record, like his gaffes and Tokyo’s failed bid to land the 2016 Olympics.
He also said Japan should do away with its Constitution, which renounces the country’s right to wage war, as quickly as possible. He said it was ridiculous that Japan had kept a charter that was drafted by the United States — or, in Mr. Ishihara’s terms, “a conquering army” — after World War II. He added that he would personally support reintroducing military conscription to instill discipline in young Japanese.
At a news conference, Mr. Ishihara said that he intended to cooperate with two other small conservative parties — including one recently formed by the populist mayor of Osaka, Toru Hashimoto — to challenge what he characterized as feckless politicking by the governing Democratic Party and its main opposition, the Liberal Democratic Party.
“I’m 80 years old, and I ask myself: Why does it have to be me? Why can’t the young get their act together?” Mr. Ishihara said. “But if Japan keeps going like this, it will sink into a pit and die,” he said.
The announcement comes at a politically fraught time, when China’s rise and assertiveness in the region is unnerving Japan’s leaders and many Japanese who have supported their country’s refusal to back down in the territorial war of words.
“While I still have life, I’d like to offer my last service to this country,” he said.
Mr. Ishihara wasted no time on Thursday in hurling insults at China and South Korea, referring to them with the names that Japan used during its colonization of much of East Asia in the early 20th century. He said Japan should do more to develop its natural resources so it can “stop bowing to the will of” its giant neighbor.
Mr. Ishihara said he had submitted his resignation Thursday, though it was expected to take up to a week for it to be officially processed. His replacement will be elected in a citywide ballot that must be called within 50 days, and Tokyo’s three vice governors will run the city in the meantime, according to news reports.
He also said Japan should do away with its Constitution, which renounces the country’s right to wage war, as quickly as possible. He said it was ridiculous that Japan had kept a charter that was drafted by the United States after World War II.
His announcement came as Chinese ships entered waters near the disputed islands, which Japan calls the Senkaku and China calls the Diaoyu, for the first time in three weeks, prompting a strong protest from Japan. Four Chinese surveillance ships were spotted within waters that Tokyo considers its own, near one of the islands in the East China Sea. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said it had protested to Beijing’s ambassador to Tokyo.
“I’m 80 years old, and I ask myself: Why does it have to be me? Why can’t the young get their act together?” Mr. Ishihara said. “But if Japan keeps going like this, it will sink into a pit and die.”
A return to the national stage by Mr. Ishihara could escalate the islands dispute. It was Mr. Ishihara who said last spring that he wanted Tokyo to buy the islands from their owner, a Japanese citizen, to better defend them from China. Under pressure not to look weak in advance of the elections, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda quickly said the central government would buy the islands instead, a move that apparently was meant to calm the situation but instead triggered angry protests across China.
Tokyo’s three vice governors will run the city until new elections are held within two months, according to news reports.
Mr. Ishihara, once a novelist and a lawmaker of the Liberal Democratic Party, achieved notoriety in the United States with his 1989 book “The Japan That Can Say No.” It urged a more assertive policy toward America, though the aggressiveness was toned down in the book’s English translation.
Mr. Ishihara, a Liberal Democratic lawmaker until he ran as an independent in 1999, had already made a return to the national stage by prompting the most recent flare-up over the islands that Japan calls the Senkaku and China calls the Diaoyu.
Despite his brazenness, or perhaps because of it, Mr. Ishihara made few real inroads in national politics, prompting him to retire in 1995 after a quarter-century in office. He made a political comeback in 1999, however, as mayor of Tokyo, riding his star power to win four consecutive terms. (His late brother, Yujiro, was also famous, as a film actor.)
Last spring, he said he wanted Tokyo to buy several of the islands from their owner, a Japanese citizen, to better defend them from China. Under pressure not to look weak, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda decided the central government would buy the islands instead, a move that apparently was meant to calm the situation but instead created protests across China and led to unofficial boycotts of Japanese goods.
Since then, Mr. Ishihara has fashioned a curious mix of populist and conservative rhetoric. He has, among other things, blamed Japan’s rising crime rate on foreigners, especially Chinese immigrants, while waging an unpopular war on comic book pornography and Tokyo’s adult entertainment industry. He survived two unsuccessful bids by Tokyo to host the Olympics.
The dispute has seemed to wane a bit recently, although Chinese surveillance ships were spotted near the islands on Thursday for the first time in three weeks, leading Japan’s Foreign Ministry to lodge a protest with Beijing’s ambassador in Tokyo.
More than once, Mr. Ishihara has landed in trouble for gaffes, notably ones involving women; he once said that women beyond childbearing age had no right to a long life. So upset was he at the state of affairs in Japan that he called last year’s tsunami “divine punishment” for the country’s missteps, a statement he was eventually forced to retract.
Mr. Ishihara, once a novelist, achieved notoriety in the United States with his 1989 book, “The Japan That Can Say No,” which urged a more assertive policy toward America.
But Mr. Ishihara has reserved his fiercest attacks for the Japanese establishment, especially the country’s bureaucrats — a sentiment that has resonated with a public weary of governance widely seen as ineffective at best and cronyism at worst.
Despite his high profile, he made few real inroads in national politics, prompting him to retire in 1995 after a quarter-century in office. He made a political comeback in 1999, however, as mayor of Tokyo, and has won four consecutive terms.
“Bureaucrats have no new ideas. All they do is postpone important decisions,” Mr. Ishihara said.
More than once, Mr. Ishihara has landed in trouble for gaffes, notably after last year’s tsunami, when he called it “divine punishment” for what he saw as the country’s general decline amid economic stagnation. He was eventually forced to retract the statement.
Few others seemed to escape Mr. Ishihara’s disdain at his rambling news conference, including the Liberal Democratic Party, to which he said he would never return. He said he had no patience for Japan’s ailing business community, referring to Hiromasa Yonekura, the head of Japan’s largest business lobby, as “that raccoon dog.” And he lashed out at the Japanese news media, calling them brainless, cowardly and ill-informed.
Mr. Ishihara’s ability to affect policy will be determined by his party’s performance in national elections for Parliament’s powerful lower house, which chooses the prime minister. With the governing Democrats’ popularity sagging, the opposition Liberal Democrats, under their new hawkish leader, Shinzo Abe, are expected to make big gains — but neither party appears likely to win a majority and will therefore need to join forces with smaller parties to form a government.
It is unclear how much of a force Mr. Ishihara can hope to become in national elections for Parliament’s powerful lower house, which must be called by next August. With the governing Democrats’ popularity sagging, the opposition Liberal Democrats are expected to make big gains — but neither party appears likely to win a majority, and will need to join forces with splinter parties to form a government.
Mr. Ishihara did not give details on Thursday of how closely he expected to work with Mr. Hashimoto, whose popularity has made him one of Japan’s most feared politicians. Though Mr. Hashimoto has made some nationalistic statements, the men differ on major issues like nuclear policy. Mr. Ishihara is a staunch supporter of nuclear power, while Mr. Hashimoto has pushed for stronger regulation after last year’s nuclear disaster.
Such a scenario could place those small parties — like the one Mr. Ishihara hopes to form — in a powerful position. He offered few details Thursday on his plans, including what his new party would be called or how many candidates it would field.
Makiko
Inoue contributed reporting.
Nor did he outline how closely he would associate with Mr. Hashimoto and his own new party, the Japan Restoration Association. Though both are nationalists, they differ on major issues like nuclear policy: Mr. Ishihara is a staunch supporter of nuclear power, while Mr. Hashimoto has been far more cautious.
The public broadcaster NHK said another nationalist party with just five lawmakers, the Sunrise Party of Japan, had agreed to join forces with Mr. Ishihara, with the aging politician as the new leader.
On Thursday, Mr. Hashimoto told reporters that he welcomed Mr. Ishihara’s move, though he said any cooperation would hinge on how closely they could align their policy goals.
“I see he is launching his final battle,” Mr. Hashimoto said.
