Shintaro Ishihara
Shintaro Ishihara (石原 慎太郎, Ishihara Shintarō, 30 September 1932 – 1 February 2022) was a Japanese politician and writer who was Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the radical right Sunrise Party, later merged with Toru Hashimoto's Japan Restoration Party out of which he split his faction into the Party for Japanese Kokoro, he was one of the most prominent ultranationalists in modern Japanese politics. An ultranationalist, he was infamous for his misogynistic comments, racist remarks, xenophobic views and hatred of Chinese and Koreans, including using the antiquated pejorative term "sangokujin". He was also a denier of the Nanjing Massacre.
Shintarō Ishihara | |
|---|---|
石原 慎太郎 | |
Ishihara in 2009 at governor's office | |
| Governor of Tokyo | |
| In office 23 April 1999 – 31 October 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Yukio Aoshima |
| Succeeded by | Naoki Inose |
| Minister of Transport | |
| In office 6 November 1987 – 27 November 1988 | |
| Prime Minister | Noboru Takeshita |
| Preceded by | Ryūtarō Hashimoto |
| Succeeded by | Shinji Satō |
| Director General of the Environment Agency | |
| In office 24 December 1976 – 28 November 1977 | |
| Prime Minister | Takeo Fukuda |
| Preceded by | Shigesada Marumo |
| Succeeded by | Hisanari Yamada |
| Member of the House of Councillors for National Block | |
| In office 8 July 1968 – 25 November 1972 | |
| Member of the House of Representatives for Tokyo 2nd district | |
| In office 10 December 1972 – 18 March 1975 | |
| In office 10 December 1976 – 14 April 1995 | |
| Member of the House of Representatives for Tokyo PR Block | |
| In office 11 December 2012 – 21 November 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Ichirō Kamoshita |
| Succeeded by | Akihisa Nagashima |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 September 1932 Suma-ku, Kobe, Japan |
| Died | 1 February 2022 (aged 89) Ota, Tokyo, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic (1968–1973, 1976–1995) Independent (1973–1976, 1995–2012) Sunrise (2012) Japan Restoration (2012–2014) Future Generations (2014–2015) |
| Spouse | Noriko Ishihara |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Hitotsubashi University |
| Profession | Novelist, author |
Also a critic of relations between Japan and the United States, his arts career included a prize-winning novel, best-sellers, and work also in theater, film, and journalism. His 1989 book, The Japan That Can Say No, co-authored with Sony chairman Akio Morita (released in 1991 in English), called on the authors' countrymen to stand up to the United States.
After an early career as a writer and film director, Ishihara served in the House of Councillors from 1968 to 1972, in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1995, and as Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. He resigned from the governorship to briefly co-lead the Sunrise Party, then joined the Japan Restoration Party and returned to the House of Representatives in the 2012 general election. He unsuccessfully sought re-election in the general election of November 2014, and officially left politics the following month.