Let’s Support Keiko Higuchi

     Keiko Higuchi, a seventy-year-old professor at Tokyo Kasei University, announced
on March 19, 2003 that she would run in the April 13 Tokyo gubernatorial election.
Yoshiharu Wakabayashi, a candidate recognized by the Japan Communist Party, and
Shintaro Ishihara, present Governor of Tokyo, had already expressed that they would
run in the election. When Ishihara announced he would run in it, the mass media were
very loud in their praises of Ishihara. They said that there was no proper candidate
except Ishihara because he is an extremely big-name politician. However, the writer
was waiting for a rival candidate different from the mass media’s bias. He waited and
waited, until a long-awaited candidate appeared.
     “WIN WIN,” a women’s group backing women candidates, recommended Keiko
Higuchi for the coming Tokyo gubernatorial election. The group won the gubernatorial
elections of Osaka and other Prefectures. As a result, Fusae Ohta is the Osaka
Governor and Akiko Domoto is the Chiba Governor. Keiko Higuchi graduated from
Tokyo University. She worked for Jiji-Tsushin-Sha (a newspaper office) and Gakushu-
Kenkyu-Sha (a publishing company). She wrote many books on women’s problems,
welfare, and education. She spoke of her aspirations like this: now that Ishihara
monopolizes the Tokyo gubernatorial election, we need plural choices. Next, Ishihara’s
highhanded political ways are in danger of killing the democracy of Tokyo. Last, she
wants to siphon voices of citizens of Tokyo.
     Certainly, he seems to be a war addict because he officially stated that he was
ready to attack North Korea in order to solve abduction problems. Also, he appeared
to be a discriminator against “Gaijin” (foreigners). His remark of “Dai-Sangoku-Jin,”
which is a typical word discriminating against foreigners living in Japan, was ill spoken
of. It also seemed that he was a person who despised. He was accused of holding
elderly women in contempt. His interest seems to exist in national administration
more than in the administration of Tokyo. He shows signs of aiming to be the Prime
Minister after experiencing the office of Governor of Tokyo. Definitely, he did not
carry out any policies for the weak. Public education is becoming reactionary
through evaluations of teachers’ performances. Welfare expenses have decreased
extremely. A problem of the bank taxes has been on the rocks. Whether his
judgment is right or wrong depends upon the judgment of the Supreme Court.
According to circumstances, Tokyo residents will have to bear the enormous expenses.
Ishihara is an authoritarian, an overbearing politician, and a simple political agitator.
His substance is as a pitiful elderly man, who is seventy years old, clinging to his
younger brother, the late Yujiro Ishihara, a super star in Japan.
     Keiko Higuchi also criticized Ishihara by saying that his cold and oppressive
remarks and attitudes to the weak made her heart frozen. There is no other way
to release Tokyo residents from Ishihara’s tyranny. The writer does not hope that
Tokyo is flooded with candidates running for the coming election because such a
condition just makes voters confused. Higuchi or Ishihara? This must be the very
sharp confrontation, and the choice of citizens of Tokyo is self-evident.