Feb 02 (Nikkei) - Author and former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, who left his mark on Japanese politics as a staunch hawk and whose nationalistic views often ruffled the feathers of Japan's neighbors, has died, a source close to him said Tuesday. He was 89.
The novelist-turned politician, who also served as a lawmaker in the Diet, provoked a bitter diplomatic row between Japan and China in 2012 by announcing a plan for the Tokyo metropolitan government to buy a major part of the disputed Senkaku Islands, claimed by China, from a private Japanese owner.
The plan led to the central government eventually buying the three uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, resulting in a freeze in bilateral relations.
Ishihara also hoped that the U.S.-drafted Constitution would be rewritten by Japan. The same passion was apparently behind his return to national politics late into his life in 2012 after his 13-year stint as Tokyo governor.
During a political career spanning nearly 50 years, Ishihara spent many years as a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker and assumed several Cabinet posts before turning to take the helm of Japan's capital.
After quitting as governor, he led a tiny party which merged into, but later broke with, what was then a rising opposition party, but retired from politics with the loss of his Diet seat in the December 2014 general election.
Ishihara's family is sometimes referred to as the Kennedys of Japan, as Ishihara's eldest son, Nobuteru, is a former lower house member who has served as environment minister, while his third son, Hirotaka, is a lower house member. His second son, Yoshizumi, is a TV personality and his fourth son, Nobuhiro, is a painter.
