Monday, October 01, 2012

Mori P!sses on Everyone, Then Takes Big Dump on Ishihara Fils


Yoshiro Mori, the last of the real faction leaders, true old-school LDP, is retiring and gives a no-holds-barred interview to Sankei Shinbun, which has been kind enough to reproduce it in its edited entirety on its website. He has something bad to say about everyone involved in the LDP presidential race, including incumbent Sadakazu Tanigaki for not supporting Nobuteru Ishihara, his deputy who essentially forced him to give up running for a second term. Read my translation below of the juicy bits and tell me, is it just me (and the group of academics whom I spent the evening with) who thinks that 1) Mori is a true dinosaur for thinking that it’s okay to tell all now, instead of waiting for another 20 years or his own death, whichever comes first, and 2) it’s no wonder Nobuteru Ishihara got so little support from the LDP Diet members?

Shintaro [Ishihara] says just before the [last] Tokyo gubernatorial election is formally launched that he won't stand for reelection. The LDP is adamant that it wants him to continue. It something can't be done, the LDP leadership may have to take responsibility. Sadakazu Tanigaki, who was LDP PResident at the time, had Vice Predsident Sadamori Ohshima negotiate [with Ishihara] but was making no headway. I was asked by the two, so his son Nobuteru and I pleaded with him to change his mind.
I said to him, "If you leave the Tokyo Governor's office, it won't be good for Nobuteru, who is the Secretary-General of the LDP. He'll have no chance to be prime minister." It took until the night, but it eventually turned out that he would stay on. At that point, the Tokyo governor said, "Make suerre you take takecare of my son." This was a promise of the party. So I had no choice other than [Nobuteru] Ishihara. Actually, both Tanagaki and Ohshima should have taken the lead in supporting Ishihara.

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