Japan’s Otaku Defense Minister
Manga-loving Taro Aso didn’t win last week’s election, but there is an otaku in Prime Minister Fukuda’s new cabinet:
Shigeru Ishiba, 50: Defense Minister. Banker-turned-politician and defense expert, Ishiba was elected to parliament in 1985 at age 27 as the country’s youngest lawmaker ever. Ishiba has served as defense minister twice, most recently from 2003-2004 for the Koizumi Cabinet. Known as a “military otaku (geek) for his expertise in defense issues,” Ishiba is associated with liberal views on foreign and defense policies. A Christian, Ishiba has acknowledged Japan’s wartime aggression and opposes nuclear arms possession and leaders’ visits to a Tokyo war shrine.
The Japan Times has an article today about Ishiba, mentioning that he is widely known for his geeky hobby of “assembling and painting elaborate plastic models of warships and airplanes.” The Japanese TV news yesterday was also saying that he is a big fan of Morning Musume!
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