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.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
RSS