Election in Japan: 94-Year-Old Candidate in Saitama 12th District Says, "A Man Gotta Do What a Man Gotta Do"

Mr. Ryokichi Kawashima was drafted and fought in the World War II for 7 years. He is plain angry at the chicken hawks in LDP and Japan Restoration Party and worried about the direction of the country. So, this 94-year-old grandpa decided to run for office from Saitama 12th District, using the money he has saved from his pension as the deposit (which will not be returned if he, or any candidate, does not get a certain number of votes in the election).

He says, "A man gotta do what a man gotta do."

From Sports Hochi (12/8/2012):

９４歳無所属新人、蓄えた葬式代つぎ込み出馬…埼玉１２区

94-year-old running as an independent in Saitama 12th District, using the funeral money he has saved

埼玉１２区に無所属新人で立候補した川島良吉氏は、御年９４歳。今選挙の最高齢候補者となるおじいちゃんは「葬式代としてためていた年金を選挙資金に充てた」と覚悟を口にする。一方の最年少候補者は群馬４区の民主・青木和也氏。投票３日前の１３日に２５歳となる。

Mr. Ryokichi Kawashima, who is a new, independent candidate in Saitama 12th District, is 94 years old. Grandpa, the oldest candidate in this election, speaks grimly about his resolution. "I used my pension savings for my funeral as election campaign fund." The youngest candidate by the way is Mr. Kazuya Aoki of DPJ in Gunma 4th District, who will turn 25 on December 13.

９４歳ながら、視力１・２を誇る両目は鋭い眼光を放つ。国の行く末を憂う川島氏は、立候補の理由を明快に語る。「オレの出番だと思ってしまったんですよ」。供託金３００万円は葬式代にと、ためていた年金から捻出した。まさに不退転。覚悟の初出馬だ。

Even though he is 94 years old, Mr. Kawashima still has the keen vision of 1.2 [20/16 in the US]. He is worried about the direction that this country is taking, and tells us why he decided to run for office. "I felt it was my turn." He came up with the deposit money of 3 million yen from the pension that he saved up for his funeral. It is indeed an indomitable resolve. This is his first candidacy

政治家を志したことはなかったが、各党の主張を聞くうちに闘志がたぎった。「右傾化する安倍（晋三・自民党総裁）や石原（慎太郎・日本維新の会代表）から『軍』なんていう言葉が普通に出る。橋下（徹・同党代表代行）もムチャクチャ。無条件降伏したのに。日本はどうなっちゃったんだ、という不安がありました」。耳は少し聞こえにくいが、話し出したら止まらないマシンガントークが武器だ。

He never wanted to become a politician, but as he listened to the politicians his fighting spirits were stirred. "Right-leaning (LDP President Shinzo) Abe and (Japan Restoration Party Leader Shintaro) Ishihara are moving to the right, they say "military" with ease. (Japan Restoration Party Deputy Leader Toru) Hashimoto is just absurd. We surrendered unconditionally [he is speaking of World War II]. What has happened to Japan? I got worried." He is a little bit hard of hearing, but his weapon is his rapid, machine-gun talk which doesn't stop once it starts.

第１次世界大戦が終結した１９１８年に生を受け、第２次大戦勃発の３９年に徴兵。中国での７年間の戦闘では多くの仲間を失った。「オレは戦争で死なず、散々いい思いをした。このままじゃ死んでいった仲間に申し訳ないと」。そんな思いが出馬へと背中を押した。先月３０日に自宅に親族を集めて「出馬表明」。最初は反対した親族も熱意に負けた。「友だちに手伝ってもらおうと思ったけど、もうみんな死んでいなくなってた」

He was born in 1918, the year the World War I ended. He was drafted in 1939, to fight in the World War II. He fought in China for seven years, many of his fellow soldiers died. "I survived the war, I have had a good time. If I don't do anything now, I don't know how I can justify myself to the soldiers who died." On November 30, he gathered his family members to his house and declared that he would run for office. His family was initially against it, but he prevailed. "I thought I would ask my friends to help me, but they were all dead."

カマド販売業、金融証券業などさまざまな仕事に従事した。今は埼玉県羽生市の自宅で一人暮らし。腰は真っすぐ。足取りは軽快だ。炊事、洗濯、掃除から車の運転まで自分でこなす。総務省選挙部管理課によると、９４歳は今選挙の立候補者１５０４人の最高齢となる。

Mr. Kawashima had worked in many industries. Now he lives by himself in his own home in Hanyu City in Saitama Prefecture. His back is straight, he walks with a spring in his steps. He cooks, does laundry, cleans, and drives, all by himself. According to the Election Department Management Section of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, he is the oldest candidate at 95 years of age, among 1504 candidates for this election.

埼玉１２区は民主・本多氏と自民・野中氏の対決に、自民を離党した元県議・森田氏が加わる激戦の構図だ。「正直勝てるとは思っていない。でも訴えたいんですわ」。公約は憲法９条順守、原発反対、天皇を「象徴」ではなく「元首」とすること。公示直前の出馬決定で活動は出遅れたが、ようやく７日、チラシとポスターの作製に着手した。今後は街頭演説も行う予定だ。「男ってのはね、やるときゃやんないといかんのよ」―。

It is a tough competition in Saitama 12th District, with the DPJ candidate, the LDP candidate, and former LDP candidate battling it out. "To be honest, I don't think I will win. But I want to make myself heard." His campaign pledge is the adherence to the Article 9 of the Constitution, opposition to nuclear power plants, and having the emperor as "head of the state" instead of "symbol". His campaign started late as he had decided to run right before the official announcement of the election. On December 7, he finally started to make pamphlets and posters. He plans to make campaign speeches on the street.

"A man gotta do what a man gotta do."

But you could almost hear the steps of the military boots in Japan these days, not just in bellicose campaign speeches by the likes of Shinzo Abe or Boy Wonder and his new sidekick Shintaro Ishihara. Just yesterday (December 9), the Osaka Prefectural Police arrested the associate professor at Hannan University for supposedly holding a demonstration without a permit to protest against the disaster debris burning in Osaka City. His alleged crime was to have walked about 250 meters inside the JR Osaka Station, handing out pamphlets in October.

What scares me is not that he was arrested but the reaction of many prominent people I see on Twitter to this arrest, approving the police action as "legitimate", "their right to arrest as they see fit".

All over the so-called developed world, left or right, the governments are exerting ever-increasing, arbitrary power over the citizens, and the citizens are hard pressed to find the reasons to justify what's happening around them.

94-year-old Kawashima must know that very well.

Tweet