Ishihara backs sacked military chief for Tokyo governor

Aah, as I thought it would happen. Now, will the good people of Tokyo again vote for another nut case like Ishihara and Inose?

That iIshihara backs him says it all. His last "hand-picked" was a disaster.

Of course, birds of a feather...

Well, there's a shock!

Ishihara backs a right-wing nut case. No surprises here. Move on people.

Why do people who deny and distort history continue to be seen and heard from in Japan?

Anywhere else in the world, they'd have been disgraced and fallen off the radar, never to be heard from again. Worse, they'd be locked up if it was Germany. But it seems that denial of war crimes earns you a nomination for an election in Japan.

I can only laugh at this. So predictable.

Mr Tamogami should take the next plane over to Nanjing where he will be able to view eye opening photos of beheaded Chinese and smirking Japanese soldiers. He will also be able to read eye witness accounts of military crimes perpetrated on a civilian population.

If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.

It's long past uncle Shintaro's bedtime, Toshio. Read him a bedtime story about brave soldiers and then go home and think about a career suitable for your future. Those nice men in the black vans may have something right up your alley.

Nepotism does not work in Ishihar family. Papa Ishihara ignores his son. Papa should stay clear out of this race. His son has been losing every opportunity in LDP crowd . Well, Papa support different crowd while Jr. has younger generation ideal.

Heh no surprise, the shock will be if this guy actually wins. Also its really high time Ishihara leaves the stage, 81, please go home.

It is shameful that such individuals are given a platform to honor war crimes. If it were Germany, they would be sent to court. Shame on this political system

This guy will not win because Tokyo people are tired of Ishihara. Bewside that, Tokyo people want someone govern Tokyo, not someone who push Tokyo to military capital. Now, LDP will have to xchoose younger none militaristic person who will work as Tokyo Governor. Younrwe person who will not create scandal. Inose was enough.

Tragically, I fear a concerted campaign and Ishihara's support on the hustings could see him win. Given the man's stated positions I have no doubt that in a few years time we'll be hearing about pay-offs, corruption and dubious relationships. How many governors will Tokyo have to go through before the Olympics finally start? Ishihara really is a "closet emperor"; we know how well that system worked out.

“The man in this high position dares to join the battle with very little possibility of winning. I dearly hope people will share and understand the sense of duty and sense of crisis behind his decision.”

Gee, not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it? Not to worry, the guy'll never win. Past experience aside, Tokyo voters do have some sense.

The latest side show begins. Step right up! Step right up! Have your tickets ready.

Even a Tamagotchi would be better than Tamogami.

"The 65-year-old said Tuesday he believed that he should triumph in next month’s gubernatorial race because of his experience in the military, which he said would need to play a central role in the aftermath of any big earthquake striking Tokyo."

And this is the number one reason he can come up with? This speaks of a guy who hasn't any credentials to be governor beyond being in the military.

Of course he does. Stupid old men with stupid old brains flock together for a stroking session in an instant.

Who would want a military head for tokyo? I wish someone more presentable would show up in this obscure race.

Of course he would. Both morons think the exact same way.

Ishihara will be the death of Japan and so would this guy

A couple of years ago there was a brilliant sounding young (compared to most of the candidates) politition with a very passionate speech about making Tokyo into a 24hr international metropolis. Yujiro Taniyama... He had vision, he had energy, he sounded charismatic. But of course nobody voted for him. http://www.moderntokyotimes.com/2011/04/06/yujiro-a-new-style-of-tokyo-politician/ I hope he runs again, and i hope this time people will wake up and realise that Tokyo doesnt need another war-craving lunatic at the helm

I don't wish this for many people, but the sooner this clown becomes worm food the better.

Moderator: If you ever post garbage like this again, you will be leaving us.

Uh, i take that back. While he may have had an empassioned speech talking about the future of Tokyo and how to keep up with other international cities, it seems his nationalistic stance (on Facebook/Youtube) is every bit as dangerous as Ishihara's.

Well, at least we would have 24hr trains/buses. That would be nice...

This guy tamogami is seriously bad bad news! He is likely much farther right than ishihara, just not as infamous.............

The fact these people like these two can get up in public at all, let alone get elected to run Tokyo & now a guy who clearly delusional on a massive scale with regards to WWII etc is now going to throw his hat in the race is beyond scary, this guy shud have been shown the door & never heard from again about 15yrs ago, WTF!!

Geez. Utsunomiya is a hard-left communist, Tamogami a hard-right nationalist.

No one a little more normal wants to run? Masazoe is apparently likely to join the running, I guess the good people of Tokyo will pitch in behind him, but then Ishihara's backing may give Tamogami a boost. He was the gov for 13 years..

These guys make Tojo look like a moderate!

ah blinky bill started all this island dispute, now he wants somebody with a similar mindset to continue on with his moronic ways. will say much of the Japanese people who vote for him.

Geez. Utsunomiya is a hard-left communist, Tamogami a hard-right nationalist.

Utsunomiya is a liberal, not a communist! The JCP and SDP are backing him, though!

And I think he's a better choice than those two jingoist jerks!

These days the Japanese far left is in dire straits, they can't win a major election.

So unless someone else tosses his hat into the ring Mr. Toshio Tamogami is a shoe in.

The people of Tokyo will rather vote for that lawyer as governor.

No surprise Ishihara aggressively backs a guy who says Japan was never aggressive (and, ahem, was in the military!). Anyway, if one of his main arguments for backing the guy is that he would be effective in the possible event of a major earthquake in Tokyo, shouldn't the Olympic games have been given to another city because of said possibility?

This Tamogami is a real ass kicker. I doubt he will win. In other news, tamogami stated that the WWII pilots did mot commit suicide in kamikaze attacks. They had all eaten tainted ramen and died of heart attacks. Hitting the American ships was just a lucky coincidence or divine wind.

Anybody seen any polling yet? I fear if the opposition fails to choose a single credible candidate, this guy could win and that would be an absolute disaster.

Michael, I heard this Utsunomiya fellow talking on TV yesterday, wasn't impressed at all. He's hard-left, liberal, whatever you want to call it, but he doesn't stand a chance of election. The Japan Communist Party's backing him is all that needs be said, really.

Sorry. I don't like these hard-left, oppose-everything, redistributionist mentality folks. Just my opinion.

Fear not though everyone, Masazoe does appear to have thrown his hat in the ring. He's a bit of a lefty too, but not as bad as Utsunomiya I gather. http://sankei.jp.msn.com/politics/news/140108/elc14010807250000-n1.htm

FizzBitJan. 08, 2014 - 01:41PM JST

In other news, tamogami stated that the WWII pilots did mot commit suicide in kamikaze attacks.

Are you joking or are you saying it for real? If you are joking, it is the "funniest" joke I have ever heard.

Obviously Ishihara supports whatever the new guy stands for. That in itself makes me worried

"The wizened former city boss"

Ishihara still isn't too wise.

Yes of course he does. One trouble maker backing another trouble maker.

Let's see what Abe says about this? Harry Potter unfolds again!

Ishihara was no that bad. Remember he won four times. Obviously, Tokyo people see him differently. He had insight and passion.

Ishihara's life into politics has made him into a terrible person.

CH3CHO

Yeah it was a joke. Was reading tamogami paper last night about the 1910 Japan / Korean treaty he wrote about. Amazing how he spun the story that Korea "signed" the treaty so Japan "was not the aggressor". Like a said, a real ass kicker.

FizzBitJan. 08, 2014 - 04:55PM JST

Well, but Korea actually signed the treaty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Korea_Treaty_of_1910 See the power of attorney of Korean Emperor specifically instrusting his men to conclude the 1910 treaty.

Great, another right wing nationalist.

@CH3CHO: Hmm, I dont think he had a choice when the Japanese had already occupied his country. Im sure the alternative was unpleasant

Tamogami was fired from the role in 2008 after he said Japan was an Asian bulwark against Western imperialism in World War II, rather than the nation responsible for continent-wide suffering.

Oh please, anyone - ANYONE - but him. This is absolutely the last thing we need. I fear he will be even more of a nut than Ishihara, and at 65 he still has enough legs to do real damage.

What kind of damage did Ishihara make? He made a Tokyo bank that failed. I think that's the biggest damage he made.

Sorry, Im not one of the sheep.

That is shameful. There can be no restoration without having learned the lessons of history.

If you kick someone in the nads long enough they will stand up and start kicking you back. Ergo, stop trying to kick them in the nads if you want them to hear your point of view.

The folks that need to take note are the far left fanatics who keep trying to bleed Japan dry. The Japanese people are tired of it and are now starting to standing their ground.

What easier way to stand ones ground than to back a nationalist?

Nationalist tell you that if you back them all will be grand, but what comes next is nothing nice.

If the folks in Korea and China would have played it fair the world would not be changing so dark, but ergo, you make your bed.

The more dirt you pile on the more mud you create.

Japan is rising and the only folks who should be blamed are the far left and the Communist.

Remember, Communism and Capitalism can't keep/live together for long before the Communist push the Capitalist to a harder more extreme form of nationalism.

So, please take note, if you want to play in a fair world then don't keep poking the hornets nest.

But, let's be real, the world isn't fair.

The world is made up of truths and truths that are created by those in power.

So an 81 year old tough-talking rightist revisionist with no military experience whatsoever backs a tough-talking revisionist rightist desk general with no fighting experience whatsoever for governor of Tokyo? Just what this city needs!

Seriously? The sooner that Ishihara's history-ignorant generation of Asian "patriots" finally die off in China, Japan and Korea, the better for everyone involved.

Fortunately, both the LDP and DPJ support Yoichi Masuzoe. Health care and the Olympics look bright.

I confidently expect this person to be elected.

The demographic of voters has demonstrated time and again that they will simply do as they are told by this bizarre, embezzling, loony. Even when he told them the disaster of 3/11 was their own fault, they re-elected him by a landslide.

Ishihara has spoken. Do as you are bidden. And don't ask again where all the billions went for his shambolic bid for Olympics 2016.

Well that's that, this guy has just relegated himself to the fringes. This article mentioned Ishihara actions sparking the current tention between China and Japan, something not mentioned by local press until maybe a year ago and Mr. Tamogami is being backed by him. The international media will not respect Tamogami elite Tokoyites will be weary of him so good luck to him, he might get a representational seat TMA someday....

I have to say this is really a disappointment. The word "denier" gets thrown around on this site far too often, mostly incorrectly. Sadly in this case there can be no debate. Toshio Tamogami is the poster boy for deniers and not one bit apologetic about it either.

He has no hope of winning anything. Isihihara is an idiot for supporting this clown.

Utsunomiya lost to Inose in 2012 but he was 2nd. DPJ tried former PM Hosokawa and Koizumi but both declined. Koizumi first tried Hosokawa as anti Nuclear candidate but Hosokawa declined. TV journalists declined. LDP poll no1 was Yoichi Masuzoe. He probably runs as independent because he also has DPJ support. His ex-wife, Satsuki Katayama was on poll but she hasn;t said yet. Some people were not interested to run. Seiko Hashimoto removed her name from poll because her existing duties related to 2014 Olympicx. Utsunomiya has one olympic related issue. He wants restricting spending on Olympics. Some Tokyo assemblymen were approached by political parties but they were not interested in becoming Tokyo Governor. Japan;s pro sport team former mamagers, etc declined. Antony Inoki might run. He was kicked out from Ishin-no-kai because he visited N. Korea. Otherwise, sprotspersons were not interested in Tokyo Gubernatorial Election. LDP might be looking for female candidate for change. Yuriko Koike and Tamayo Marukawa names were on poll. it knows about half of Tokyo voters are females. No more scandourous male like Inose. LDP must be checking hidden stories inside of their closet and that must be reason it hasn;t mentioned who and who yet, beside many people declined to be a candidate.

Good news. The more ridiculous and deranged Ishihara makes himself look by backing a candidate that he says himself will probably lose, the better. He might actually emerge with a bit of credibility if he endorsed a winner, as opposed to the Japanese equivalent of one of the people from the Monster Raving Loony Party, and that would never do.

In US, people in big cities are much more enlightened. Rednecks can only get elected in remote places.

Japan elected such a nut head in it's biggest city shows the level of Japanese citizen's IQs.

Ishihara didn't just get elected once, he got elected multiple times, even after making some serious gaffes, such as 3/11 being divine intervention that the people deserved (he got re-elected after that). Then when he quit, his choice of successor was elected. Unfortunately, Tamogami has a good chance of being chosen, due to having Ishihara's support.

My guess (not analysis) is that Independent candidates will be on top 2 vote getters. Either Utsunomiya or Masuzoe.

One demon backing up another. They are looking to bring out the demons in Tokyo's voters. Every person has both an angel and a demon inside of him/her. Calling on the demon in him/her tends to get the vote. Calling on the angel doesn't do much for politics.

Politicians are people whose demons have taken over them.

If "General Jingoist" gets the job, Tokyo will be getting colder shoulders!

toshiko, I can't see that Utsunomiya will be any competition for Masazoe. Masazoe has a much better public profile and is perceived as being much more mainstream so far as I can judge.

@fxgal> 2012 election, against Inose, he was second and Ishihara Jr was way bottom, Utsunomiya had many tokyo voters support but Inose won. This time, Masazoa is an independent candidate. Both DPJ and LDP bog support Masazoe has and this is his advantage. that is why he is independent. He is an excellent political analyzer and he is kind of scholarstic. His 2nd wife, Satsuki Katayama was Miss Tokyo Univ, LDP poll in December, He knows how to handle media easily. Many media background people declined to be a candidate. In Masuzoe case, he was a political issues commenter in Media. So people who want to have knowledgeable media people can't be disappointed. It is his big advantage as independent while both LDP and DPJ strongly support him. Utsunomiya;s problem is he does not understand Olympic produce big ad income and Utsunomiya guesses Olympic cost is done by Tokyo Government fund only. Just like MLB games in USA, Nintendo, Automakers and all sort of Japan Inc. give Tokyo their huge ad price. That is one of reasons Japan wanted 2020 Olympic in Japan and Turkey los; this is not Inose against others. Like you analyzed, Masuzoe has the best opportunity if he sticks in Tokyo issue. Other guy, what is his name? the one who never studied WW II history , will not be considered from Tokyo people. Mr/ Masuzoe now has to talk about Olympic and Paralympic bureau people (1/1 created) so that they know he can communicvate with them. Utsunomiya has disadvantage, JCP SDP support prematuredly announced. Tokyo people, like other Japanese people, do not trust them, Masuze has best chance beside he knows how to smile.

@ne-tiget: Its not so much a question of iqs, its general apathy in the populace. The younger generation in general doesn`t care about anything remotely historical or political. Thus the only people who bother to vote are the oldies - thus keeping things as they are

I think aussie makes an excellent point. Toshiko once posted that every Japanese has a different view and not to generalize, but to the outside world, this doesnt appear to be true. Sure, they might, but they dont vocalize it like other democracys do, perhaps in order to maintain the Wa and haromony and cultural restrictions are too great. As many have posted, how many times has Ishihara been elected? Im sure this general will win as well. How many times does the same PM get elected..return to another minister post, then get relected, repeat cycle? Toshiko post long rants that I hear from many Japanese, but in the end, the same people always get elected. Its easy to complain in Japan, but impossible for anything to change..

No, same people will not be elected as Tokyo governor in 2014. Ishihara is not a candidate. Inose is not a candidate. .... Mike45: Which former Governor are you predicting? Ishihara or Inose? I predict Masuzoe, if not Utsunomiya. I don't rant/ I write info. You rant. You don;t write info.