Candidate for Tokyo Governor, in July 2011: "Radiation in Fukushima Is Not That Dangerous."

Mr. Toshio Tamogami is a military commentator who was also a career military officer and the 26th Chief of Staff, Air Self-Defense Force. He hasn't declared his candidacy officially, but hinted that he would run, on January 2 when he visited Yasukuni Shrine.

In July 2011 at a symposium held in Tokyo, Mr. Tamogami said, according to Sankei Shinbun (8/15/2011, cache):

「危ない危ないと言われるが、実際そんなに福島の放射線は危なくない。原発の上を飛ぶカラスが落ちましたか。原発近くの海で魚がどんどん浮きましたか。危なくないということがだんだん実証されてきている」

"It is said it's dangerous, but in reality, radiation in Fukushima is not that dangerous. Has a crow flying over the [Fukushima I] nuclear plant dropped from the sky? Have you seen fish floating [and dead] in the ocean near the plant? It is gradually being proven that radiation is not dangerous."

Needless to say, but Mr. Tamogami is pro-nuclear according to his wiki entry in Japanese. He is also from Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture.

So the major national media in cahoots with the major political parties routed out Mr. Naoki Inose, a writer, over the campaign finance from the governorship of Tokyo, only to get...

Who is running anyway?

Mr. Tamogami for one, and Mr. Kenji Utsunomiya, a liberal attorney who was the distant second in the December 2012 Tokyo gubernatorial race which was won by Mr. Inose by a landslide.

It looks LDP and DPJ are both eying to present their candidates (possibly the same candidate) at the last possible minute, just in case the luck works.

What luck, you ask?

Historically, for some unknown reason, the candidate who declared his candidacy the last almost always won the race. So they are probably holding the announcement until the last minute.

Does anyone care?

Not much, as far as I've seen or heard so far.

The Tokyo gubernatorial election is to be held on February 9, 2014.

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