ABSTRACT
Tokyo has Ishihara Shintaro as its new governor. Ishihara won the dubious election of 1999 in dramatic fashion, beating various rival candidates, although he announced his candidacy only at the very last moment. 1 It was dubious because the only promising candidate, the incumbent Aoshima Yukio, declined to continue in office at the last minute, which surprised almost everyone. Since one could place Ishihara and Aoshima at opposite ends of the political spectrum, this change of governors would suggest that some radical shift is under way. 2
