Tokyo's new governor, Ishihara Shintaro, has his own idea about easing airport congestion in the city.
"I am surprised and I am very happy, " said Ishihara, beaming from his Tokyo governor's office.
Ishihara established a public fund for donors to send in money to the Tokyo metropolitan government.
Mr Ishihara has made so many outrageous statements it's hard to know where to start.
As his powers increase, he will be even more of a hawkish influence than Ishihara.
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One feature of Nobuteru Ishihara's group is the number of second-generation politicians it contains.
Miss Domoto, Mr Tanaka, Mr Ishihara and the other unruly governors owe their success to their independence.
The bank had embarrassed Japan internationally, said Shintaro Ishihara, governor of Tokyo, which is Mizuho's largest depositor.
In his most spectacular revolt, Ishihara decided to tax banks on their gross profit rather than current profit.
What really wins Ishihara points with the public is the way he stands up to the central government.
Likewise, the LDP, hoping to regain power in the next election, has failed to rein in Mr Ishihara.
On the campaign trail, Mr Hashimoto and Mr Ishihara have drawn thousands of eager listeners wherever they stop.
If he is elected, Mr Ishihara is unlikely to run the city any better than the current comedian.
Ishihara said he expected to raise eyebrows and make a point to China about Japan's interest in the islands.
But Mr Kato may soon use Nobuteru Ishihara's group to press his own case for being made prime minister.
Ishihara said his public fund shows how Japanese people really feel about China.
Mr Inose replaced outspoken predecessor Shintaro Ishihara, who resigned late last year to contest Japanese general elections in December 2012.
Ishihara said Japan was not alone in a territory dispute with a rising China, pointing to Vietnam and the Philippines.
Neither Ishihara nor the Kurihara family will say when the sale of the islands to Tokyo's government will take place.
Mr Ishihara is by no means alone in viewing Japan as a puppet that is jerked around by the Americans.
Mr Ishihara would exploit any incident similar to the rape of an Okinawan schoolgirl by three American marines in 1995.
Mayor of Tokyo since April 1999, re-elected three times, Ishihara has been outspoken about many policies and has a track record.
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Shintaro Ishihara, a popular nationalist elected governor of Tokyo last April, made the return of Yokota one of his campaign pledges.
But far more troubling, argues Mr Ishihara's group, were the party's losses among the 180 remaining seats decided by proportional representation.
On the contrary, Ishihara may have won in spite of his pragmatism.
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Reports suggest the Tokyo and Osaka governors, Shintaro Ishihara and Toru Hashimoto, are in talks over a potential link-up in the polls.
In his timing, Mr Ishihara's return to public life has been masterly.
Ishihara said at a minimum, it's shown him that the Japanese people are more like him and less like his compromising national government.
Privileged and protected as they are, there is some doubt whether Nobuteru Ishihara and his like have the stomach for a real fight.
Though it is not the Tokyo governor's job to shape foreign policy, someone of Mr Ishihara's bent could cause major difficulties in Washington.
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