Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, an outspoken nationalist who is fond of riling Japan's neighbors, yesterday secured a third term leading the world's largest metropolis.
Ishihara, who has used racial slurs for Chinese and Korean residents, vowed to devote his fresh four-year mandate to his pet project of bringing the 2016 Summer Olympics to Tokyo.
"I have been continuously bashed by the media and there have been regrettable misunderstandings and exaggerations. But the public had good sense and saw through that," the novelist-turned-politician told a news conference.
Tokyo was one of 13 provinces holding elections in the first nationwide test for embattled conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the run-up to July's upper house vote.
Exit polls put incumbents ahead in most races, with official results due later. Ishihara's main opponent conceded he was easily defeated.
Ishihara, a prize-winning novelist once spoken of as a contender for prime minister, is known for harsh criticism of China, North Korea, foreigners, immigrants, women -- and even the French language.
He has ignited outrage by ordering public school teachers in Tokyo to sing Japan's national anthem at school functions or face punishment.
Twelve other Japanese prefectures held gubernatorial elections yesterday.
Ishihara, 74, a longtime stalwart in Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP), declined the party's formal backing this time to woo independent voters. But he is still supported by the LDP and its coalition partner, New Komeito. Opinion polls put him ahead of Asano, 59, who is backed by the opposition Democratic Party.
Ishihara's critics say voters are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the governor amid allegations of cronyism and expense fund abuse, and Asano's focus on social welfare could resonate better with voters concerned about Japan's rapidly aging society.
Ishihara has been credited with pushing through reforms such as restricting diesel emissions for better air quality and cutting government spending. He is also backing Tokyo's bid to host the 2016 Olympics, while Asano has decried it as an extravagant ego trip.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS