Ishihara leaves Tokyo for U.S. visit (Tokyo's Extreme Ultra Right Gov.)

Ishihara leaves Tokyo for U.S. visit

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara left for Washington on Sunday for a weeklong visit to the United States mainly for talks with senior government officials on the return of the U.S. Yokota air base in western Tokyo.
It is Ishihara's second visit to the U.S. as governor. His first visit was in September 2001 when he was temporarily stranded following the September terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Yokota air base, one of three U.S. air bases in Japan, occupies around 700 hectares of land covering six municipalities in Tokyo. It accommodates the command headquarters of the U.S. forces in Japan.

Ishihara is campaigning to get the base back for civilian use to meet the rising demand for air travel in the nation's capital.

The governor was in Washington when a hijacked passenger plane crashed into the Pentagon, just outside the U.S. capital, on Sept. 11 last year. He was forced to cancel the remaining items on his schedule for the visit.

The Japan Times: Oct. 7, 2002
(C) All rights reserved

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara left for Washington on Sunday for a weeklong visit to the United States mainly for talks with senior government officials on the return of the U.S. Yokota air base in western Tokyo.

Wonder if he will spout all that anti-foreign rederic that he has become famous for while he is in Tokyo.....

Yokota air base, one of three U.S. air bases in Japan, occupies around 700 hectares of land covering six municipalities in Tokyo. It accommodates the command headquarters of the U.S. forces in Japan.

Ishihara is campaigning to get the base back for civilian use to meet the rising demand for air travel in the nation's capital.

Really? I guess that demand is sooooooo high it's why several airlines went under and several more merged together.

Given his anti-American/anti-foreign views and I think he would like it so the JASDF can use it.
He was also quoted as saying he wanted to use the JGSDF to round up all the "illegal" gainjin in case of natural disaster.
I think this guy is dangerous

Ishihara is an out-and-out racist. I've read his book, "The Japan that Can Say NO!", and it's full of the same claptrap. He just wants the airbase back because he objects to the US military presence in Japan. He views it as an occupation, not as a force to defend Japan from outside attack. He doesn't really care what happens to the land once it's been returned; that's secondary to his burning desire to kick the Americans out of Japan.
I just wish he'd be honest and upfront about his agenda.

If Japan were really being occupied I would be in charge and would have appointed someone else as governor and not Ishihara

I didn't say it was the truth, Robert, I was just arguing Ishihara's perception of the US presence.

Originally posted by Kimpatsu
I didn't say it was the truth, Robert, I was just arguing Ishihara's perception of the US presence.

I know. It was just wishful thinking on my part