Tōru Hashimoto
Tōru Hashimoto | |
---|---|
橋下 徹 | |
Mayor of Osaka | |
In office 25 November 2011 – 18 December 2015 | |
Preceded by | Kunio Hiramatsu |
Succeeded by | Hirofumi Yoshimura |
Governor of Osaka Prefecture | |
In office 6 February 2008 – 31 October 2011 | |
Preceded by | Fusae Ohta |
Succeeded by | Ichirō Matsui |
Personal details | |
Born | Tokyo, Japan | 29 June 1969
Political party |
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Other political affiliations |
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Spouse | Noriko |
Children | 7; 3 sons and 4 daughters |
Alma mater | Waseda University |
Tōru Hashimoto (橋下 徹, Hashimoto Tōru, born 29 June 1969) is a Japanese TV personality, politician, and lawyer. He is a former governor of Osaka Prefecture and mayor of City of Osaka. He is a founder of Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Osaka Restoration Association. He is one of Japan's leading right-wing conservative-populist politicians.[1][2][3][4]
Hashimoto does not believe that Korean comfort women who served as sex workers for the Japanese military during World War II were recruited by force.[5]
Early life and career
Tōru Hashishita was born in Hatagaya,
As a student at
During his early years of law practice, he began to appear on local radio and television programs in the
He admitted in 2012 to having an extramarital affair with a
Political career
Governor of Osaka Prefecture
There were rumours that Hashimoto would run for Mayor of Osaka City in 2007, because of his popularity and status as a lawyer, but he did not do so and, even after
For a time, his straight-talking style and perceived willingness to challenge the status quo made him one of the most popular political figures in Japan. His party, Osaka Ishin no Kai, received high support ratings in national polls despite its regional focus.[12] In April 2011, the party also won a majority in the Osaka prefectural assembly.[13]
Mayor of Osaka City
His Osaka Metropolis plan faced fierce opposition from other politicians, including then Osaka City Mayor Kunio Hiramatsu. Hashimoto resigned as governor of Osaka on 31 October 2011, before finishing his first term, in order to run for Osaka city mayor.[14][15] In November he was elected as mayor, alongside Ichirō Matsui of One Osaka who succeeded him as governor.[16][17]
During the election campaign, weekly magazines origin. Hashimoto criticized the articles on Twitter.
After the election, Hashimoto founded the "Ishin Seiji Juku", a "cram school" for training future political leaders, which admitted 2,000 students in its first class in March 2012.[18]
In 2012 a poll of civil servants working in Ōsaka city was conducted, requiring disclosure of those with tattoos on their body. The survey found 110 employees out of 33,500 had at least one tattoo. Hashimoto commented that civil servants have no right to have tattoos and suggested that those who do should resign.[19][20] Inciting further controversy, 2 July 2012 Hashimoto made the comment to newly appointed ward mayors of Ōsaka that civil servants cannot expect to have personal privacy or fundamental human rights while working for the public.[21][22]
In September 2012, he launched Nippon Ishin No Kai, or the
The Osaka Ishin no Kai suffered several setbacks in 2013, with its candidate losing the
In the wake of controversial comments about comfort women (see below) and after failing to gain consensus for his plan to merge Osaka City and Osaka Prefecture, Hashimoto announced his resignation as mayor in February 2014, and said he would stand for re-election to seek a new mandate from voters.[24]
Osaka voted down the Osaka Metropolis plan by a thin margin in a May 2015 referendum. Following the defeat of his core policy proposal, which had been supported by the national government, Hashimoto announced that he would retire from politics upon expiration of his term as mayor.[25] In June, he was invited to Tokyo for a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who voiced his support for the defeated plan and also sought Hashimoto's input on upcoming national security legislation.[26]
Hashimoto's political agenda planned the privatization of the municipal transport sector (subways, bus services and peripheral bus lines), waterworks, hospitals, and trash collection. It included the reduction of the city staffing from 21,600 units in 2012 to 19,350 by 2015. The electoral program of the Ishin no Kai proposed to cut funding to classical orchestras, the
Political views
Part of a series on |
Conservatism in Japan |
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Nuclear policy
He is known for his opposition to the restarting of local nuclear reactors after the
Before he became governor of Osaka in 2008 he had argued on several television programs that Japan should possess nuclear weapons, but has since said that this was his private opinion.[29]
Foreign policy
Hashimoto is a supporter of the
Views on territorial disputes
In September 2012 Hashimoto suggested that Japan and South Korea jointly manage the Liancourt Rocks, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in Korea.[31] He suggested the same for the Senkaku Islands, stated that while the disputed Islands do belong to Japan, that "sovereignty and utilization are different matters." The views drew considerable criticism from within his own party, as well as from outside commentators.[32]
Nationalist positions
After taking office in 2008, Hashimoto clashed with teachers' unions and other officials over
Views on US bases in Japan
In 2009, amid controversy throughout Japan over the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Hashimoto publicly proposed moving the functions of the base to Osaka's Kansai International Airport (which is on an artificial island). He remarked that "the burden [of bases on Okinawa] should be spread more evenly throughout Japan."[35] Some in the Kansai business community supported this, but the US described such a move as being unfeasible for logistical reasons.[36]
He supports the plan to relocate Futenma to Henoko in Okinawa, and has also called for the people of Okinawa to accept the deployment of Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft despite much local opposition.[31][36]
In June 2013 he proposed relocating some Osprey drills to Yao Airport in Osaka. Mayor Seita Tanaka of Yao opposed the idea, stating that the safety of the Osprey aircraft had not been confirmed.[37]
Comfort women issues
In August 2012, Hashimoto claimed that there is no evidence that the Japanese military used force or threats to recruit the South Korean comfort women who served as sex workers for the military during World War II because his grandmother and mother was also a part of it .[5]
In May 2013, while seemingly conceding that the comfort women served soldiers "against their will", Hashimoto further claimed that they were "necessary" so that Japanese soldiers could get some "rest" during World War II.[38][39]
On 13 May 2013, Hashimoto told a senior US forces official in Okinawa "We can't control the sexual energy of these brave marines", and suggested that United States soldiers should make more use of the
Several leading Japanese politicians, including
Views on elections and political parties
In March 2012,
Asahi Shimbun
There is a history of conflict between Hashimoto and the
On 16 October 2012, Shukan Asahi, a weekly magazine published by a subsidiary of the Asahi Shimbun, described Hashimoto's father as a descendant of burakumin, claimed that he had been affiliated with yakuza gangs, and also claimed that his death, which occurred when Hashimoto was in elementary school, was a suicide.[46][47] The article also compared Hashimoto to Adolf Hitler and hinted that Hashimoto's policies were influenced by his father's background. Subsequently, Hashimoto refused to speak to journalists from Shukan Asahi and the Asahi Shimbun. On 18 October, the Asahi group apologized, stating that the magazine article contained "inappropriate descriptions".[48] A third-party Press and Human Rights Committee set up by the Asahi Shimbun Company concluded that '"a story on Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto in Shukan Asahi Weekly Magazine has reinforced discrimination" and "The story, including its headline, is based on the wrong idea of denying Hashimoto's integrity as a human being on the basis of his origin. It has lost sight of independent human dignity." The President of Asahi Shimbun Publications, Hideo Kotoku, resigned, and the company demoted the editor in chief of Shukan Asahi and a deputy editor in charge of the series, and suspended them from work for three months.[49]
Infrastructure
Hashimoto favored closing
References
- ^ )
- ISBN 9781609456429.
- ISBN 9783030328658.
- ^ Ming Wan, ed. (2015). Understanding Japan-China Relations: Theories and Issue. World Scientific. p. 91.
... which then merged with the Japan Restoration Party founded by a conservative populist politician Hashimoto Toru, ...
- ^ a b "Osaka Mayor Demands Evidence on 'Comfort Women'". The Chosun Ilbo (English edition). 22 August 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ Mori, Isao (4 December 2010). "同和と橋下徹" [Burakumin and Tōru Hashimoto]. G2 (in Japanese). Vol. 6. p. 32-33.
- ^ "橋下氏泣き落とし?初街頭でオカン話" [Mr. Hashimoto's sob story? Tells story about mother on the street]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 1 November 2008. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008.
- ^ "橋下徹氏と在特会会長の意見交換 罵り合ってすぐ終了" [Tōru Hashimoto and Zaitokukai exchange opinions, quickly ends after swearing each other out] (in Japanese). 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014.
- ^ "橋下徹氏 大阪の旧遊郭街・飛田新地組合の顧問弁護士だった" [Mr. Tōru Hashimoto was the legal advisor of Tobita Shinchi, the old brothel district of Osaka]. News-postseven (in Japanese). 25 November 2011. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011.
- ^ Johnston, Eric (20 July 2012). "Hashimoto admits affair, doesn't deny 'cosplay'". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Johnston, Eric (7 February 2008). "Osaka governor sounds fiscal alarm". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Fackler, Martin, "Osaka Mayor's Radical Message Has Broad Appeal in a Weary Japan", New York Times, 27 September 2012, p. 6.
- ^ a b c "Hashimoto's party ousts 'rebels,' loses majority in Osaka prefectural assembly". The Asahi Shimbun. 17 December 2013. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ The Japan Times Hashimoto bows out amid controversy 31 October 2011 Retrieved 18 August 2012
- ^ Asahi Shimbun Hashimoto to resign soon as Osaka governor to run for mayor 22 October 2012 Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 18 August 2012
- ^ "Osaka election results «". Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2011. "Osaka election results" CLAIR London blog, 27 November 2011 [dead link] [unreliable source?]
- ^ Schreiber, Mark, "Hashimoto: A man with a plan, or dictator with an agenda?", Japan Times, 3 June 2012, p. 9
- ^ The Japan Times Hashimoto school grads prep for run 29 May 2012 Retrieved 18 August 2012
- ^ The Japan Times Osaka's Hashimoto puts municipal workers' tattoos into the limelight 18 May 2012 Retrieved 18 August 2012
- ^ ABC News Japanese City Cracks Down on Tattoos 26 June 2012 Retrieved 18 August 2012
- ^ Japan Today Osaka Mayor Hashimoto: 'You have no fundamental human rights' 4 July 2012 Archived 26 January 2013 at archive.today Retrieved 18 August 2012
- ^ 橋下大阪市長ウォッチ 区長予定者にクギ「公人にプライバシーなし」
- ^ The Japan Times Hashimoto launches party amid workload, universal appeal doubts 13 September 2012 Retrieved 13 September 2012
- ^ Martin, Alexander (3 February 2014). "Firebrand Osaka Mayor Calls It Quits, to Seek Re-election". Wall Street Journal Japan Real Time. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ Johnston, Eric (17 May 2015). "Hashimoto announces exit from politics after Osaka rejects merger plan in referendum". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "首相、橋下氏と会談 安保法案などで意見交換か". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 14 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ Fackler, Martin (3 May 2012). "Japan's Leaders, Pressed by Public, Fret as Nuclear Shutdown Nears". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Johnston, Eric (1 June 2012). "Kansai chiefs accept 'limited' reactor restart". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ a b Johnston, Eric (30 October 2012). "The world according to Toru Hashimoto". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013.
- ^ Johnston, Eric (13 July 2012). "Hashimoto's pro-TPP group snubs Ozawa tieup". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ a b Mainichi Shimbun Hashimoto says Japan, S. Korea should jointly manage Takeshima 24 September 2012 Retrieved 3 October 2012
- ^ The Japan Times Hashimoto stalks anthem foes 28 May 2011 Retrieved 18 August 2012
- ^ The Japan Times Hashimoto group to seek referendum on changing Article 9, and boost defense capabilities 6 June 2012 Retrieved 18 August 2012
- ^ Will the U.S. Marines charge ashore at Kansai airport?, Japan Today
- ^ a b Johnston, Eric Hashimoto's party still grappling with developing a policy on U.S. bases 3 October 2012 The Japan Times Retrieved 3 October 2012
- ^ Japan Times Hashimoto reckons Yao Airport could be Honshu candidate site for Osprey drills 4 June 2013
- ^ a b c "Japan WWII 'comfort women' were 'necessary' - Hashimoto". BBC News. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Hashimoto says 'comfort women' were necessary part of war". Asahi Shinbun. 13 May 2013. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d Hiroko Tabuchi (13 May 2013). "Women Forced Into WWII Brothels Served Necessary Role, Osaka Mayor Says". New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ Erik Slavin (14 May 2013). "Osaka mayor: 'Wild Marines' should consider using prostitutes". Stars and Stripes. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "Osaka mayor 'sorry' for US brothel remarks". BBC News. 25 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023.
- ^ a b Jiji Press Hashimoto Faces Barrage of Criticism over "Comfort Women" Remarks Retrieved 15 May 2013[dead link]
- ^ Johnston, Eric (12 June 2013). "San Francisco spurned Hashimoto amid sex slave outrage". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013.
- ^ Johnston, Eric (27 March 2012). "Old guard see despot in Hashimoto". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ Brasor, Philip, "Hashimoto needs a much thicker skin", Japan Times, 28 October 2012, p. 9
- ^ J-Cast 「子供の権利は配慮されるべき」 橋下知事が雑誌記事批判 19 October 2011 Retrieved 18 August 2012
- ^ The Asahi Shimbun Panel: Shukan Asahi story on Osaka mayor adds to discrimination, 13 November 2012 Archived 18 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 18 September 2012
- ^ The Japan Times Airport wars roil Kansai region 15 January 2010 Retrieved 18 August 2012
External links
- City Mayor profile
- Hashimoto law office (in Japanese)
- Official site as a lawyer (in Japanese)
- Hashimoto's blog (in Japanese)