Japan
Nationalist wins racefor governor
REUTERS in Tokyo
An outspoken nationalist known for his
anti-American views won a heated race for the
governorship of Tokyo yesterday, posing a
potential headache for Prime Minister Keizo
Obuchi.
Television networks said Shintaro Ishihara, a
former ruling party lawmaker running as an
independent, was set to win 30 per cent of the
votes cast.
That is well above the 25 per cent minimum
needed to clinch the governorship and more
than 10 percentage points ahead of his nearest
rival in the record 19-candidate race.
Mr Ishihara campaigned on the slogan of "The
Tokyo That Can Say No", echoing his 1989
book that called for Japan to adopt a more
independent foreign policy.
But some analysts said voters backing Mr
Ishihara liked his promises to stand up to those
in power and were more worried about the
economy than nationalism.
"It doesn't mean they are nationalist but that
they are fed up with political stalemate and
prefer someone who can talk straight," said
Shigenori Okazaki, a political analyst at
Warburg Dillon Read.
In his victory speech, Mr Ishihara said he
would not pick needless fights with the central
Government but he could not resist a shot at
mainstream politicians.
"What I realised during the campaign was that
the established parties have no value, and
that's what the people felt," he said.
Mr Ishihara, known for his impatience with
Japan's defence reliance on America, wants to
take back the US military's Yokota Air Base in
Tokyo and turn it into an international airport.
Yokota is one of the largest US air bases in
Asia.
"If the United States considers Japan an equal
partner, they should listen carefully to my
view," he said.
The prize-winning author has also irritated
China with his penchant for calling it "Shina",
a term with overtones of wartime Japanese
imperialism, and by saying he does not trust
Beijing.
The Ishihara victory - which left Obuchi
candidate Yasushi Akashi far behind - bodes ill
for some top executives of the ruling Liberal
Democratic Party.
It may also fan factional fights ahead of an
election for the party presidency - now held by
Mr Obuchi - which is set for September.
Some in the party want a summer election that
would hand the Prime Minister another year in
power without a bruising contest.
But analysts said that the fate of Mr Obuchi's
Government was more likely to hinge on
economic developments.
"Obuchi's popularity is rising, but we need to
watch carefully how stable his administration
is," Mr Okazaki said.