Shintaro Ishihara (石原 慎太郎, Ishihara Shintarō, 30 September 1932 – 1 February 2022) was a Japanese politician and writer who was Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the radical right Sunrise Party, later merged with Toru Hashimoto's Japan Restoration Party out of which he split his faction into the Party for Japanese Kokoro, he was one of the most prominent ultranationalists in modern Japanese politics. An ultranationalist, he was infamous for his misogynistic comments, his racist remarks, his xenophobic views and his hatred of Chinese and Koreans, including his use of the antiquated pejorative term "sangokujin". He was also a denier of the Nanjing Massacre.Also a critic of relations between Japan and the United States of America, his artistic accomplishments included his authorship of a prize-winning novel, his authorship of best-sellers, and his work in theater, film, and journalism. His 1989 book, The Japan That Can Say No, co-authored with Sony chairman Akio Morita (published in English in 1991), called on the authors' countrymen to stand up to America. After an early career as a writer and a film director, Ishihara served in the House of Councillors from 1968 to 1972, then, he served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1995, and then, he served as Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. He resigned from the governorship to briefly co-lead the Sunrise Party, then, he joined the Japan Restoration Party and he returned to the House of Representatives in the 2012 general election. He unsuccessfully sought re-election in the general election of November 2014, and officially left politics the following month. Source: Wikipedia (en)