Japan’s Shintaro Ishihara, fearless Beijing critic, announces retirement
China critic Shintaro Ishihara, who as Tokyo governor planned to buy disputed islands, retires leaving nationalists with big hole to fill
When Shintaro Ishihara announced his retirement from politics yesterday, it marked the end of a remarkable career that dates back to the 1960s and one which will be mourned by conservative-minded Japanese.
Left-wingers, however, will be delighted that a man who never pulled his political punches and was unafraid of displaying his dislike for China will be exiting the political stage. Their reasoning is that it will be difficult - if not impossible - for nationalist groups to find a replacement.
At 82, the outspoken Ishihara was acting as supreme adviser to the nationalist Party for Future Generations in the run-up to Sunday's general election but stated during the campaign that he would retire from politics if he was unsuccessful in the poll.
At a press conference in Tokyo he blamed the party's name for its election drubbing, when its previous tally of 19 seats was reduced to just two.
"The naming required some explanation for people to understand. It was problematic as a name for a political party."
He had insisted before the vote that he be placed last of the nine candidates on the party's list for the Tokyo block in the proportional representation section, effectively signalling that his days in politics were numbered.