Japanese nationalists in war of words over 'comfort women'
No stranger to controversy, top nationalist Ishihara berates party rival for discussing war's sex slaves at a politically sensitive time
Two of Japan's fiercest nationalist politicians are at loggerheads over the issue of comfort women, with Shintaro Ishihara emerging as an unlikely defender of the wartime sex slaves.
Ishihara, the former Tokyo governor who is joint leader of the nationalist Japan Restoration Party, strongly criticised party founder Toru Hashimoto for his comments on comfort women that have dented public support in the run-up to next month's election.
Ishihara said claims by Hashimoto last month that women who provided sex to Imperial Japan's military in the early decades of the last century were not forced into their profession were a "great nuisance" to the party.
Ishihara said: "There is no use in justifying himself at this time as he touched on a taboo subject and said something that should not have been said.
"My perception of history is basically different."
Go Ito, a professor of political science at Tokyo's Meiji University, believes Ishihara's outburst against his political ally is more than a little ironic.