Yukio Aoshima | |
|---|---|
青島 幸男 | |
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| Governor of Tokyo | |
| In office 23 April 1995 – 22 April 1999 | |
| Monarch | Akihito |
| Preceded by | Shunichi Suzuki |
| Succeeded by | Shintaro Ishihara |
| Member of theHouse of Councillors | |
| In office 26 July 1992 – 23 March 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Toshiaki Yamada |
| Constituency | National PR |
| In office 8 July 1968 – 16 June 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Taku Izumi |
| Constituency | National district (1968–1986) National PR (1986–1989) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1932-07-17)17 July 1932 |
| Died | 20 December 2006(2006-12-20) (aged 74) Koto, Tokyo, Japan |
| Party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Dainiin Club |
| Children | Miyuki Aoshima Toshiyuki Aoshima |
| Alma mater | Waseda University |
Yukio Aoshima (青島 幸男,Aoshima Yukio; 17 July 1932 – 20 December 2006) was a Japanese politician who served asGovernor of Tokyo from 1995 to 1999. He is also well known as a TV actor, novelist, film director, screenwriter and songwriter.
Yukio was born inNihonbashi ward ofTokyo City in 1932. His father was an entrepreneur who had been running abento catering business. He began writingmanzai comedy while enrolled as a student atWaseda University and made his debut as a comedy writer in Japan's fledgling television industry.[1]
He rose to fame as the star of programs such asShabondama Holiday (シャボン玉ホリデー,"Soap Bubble Holiday") andIji-waru Baasan (いじわるばあさん,"Mean Granny"). He produced, directed and starred in the filmKane (鐘,"The Bell"), which was a contestant in the 1966Cannes Film Festival. His first novel,Ningen banji saiō ga hinoeuma (人間万事塞翁が丙午), won theNaoki Prize in 1981.[1]
Aoshima wrote for popular comedianHitoshi Ueki and was largely responsible for creating Ueki's image. According to Ueki, Aoshima once told him: "Don't tell anyone you don't drink, otherwise you'll put me out of a job."[2] Aoshima wrote the hit 1961 songSudara Bushi (スーダラ節), performed byHajime Hana and the Crazy Cats, of which Ueki was a member. Aoshima characterized the song as "the saga of a happy-go-lucky salaryman who is unable to avoid the temptations of drink and gambling" with the resonant lyric "I know it's wrong, but I can't give it up." He linked the song to his political views later on, writing that "we have spent several decades creating a society and economy oriented towards mass production, mass distribution, mass consumption, and mass waste. We know something is amiss, but we are so caught up in it that we cannot give it up."[3]
Aoshima was elected to theHouse of Councillors in the1968 election as a national block write-in candidate, capitalizing on his fame to win 1.2 million votes and placing second in the block behindShintaro Ishihara. He refused to give outdoor speeches in the style of other Japanese politicians, and instead went on a trip to Europe during the campaigning season.[4] He nonetheless remained in the Diet until 1995, when he resigned to run for Governor of Tokyo.[1] He was part of theDainiin Club, a minor political party composed of independent candidates in the House of Councillors.
Aoshima ran forGovernor of Tokyo in 1995, without major party support and again without campaigning beyond state-sponsored posters and TV spots.Knock Yokoyama, also a comedian, was elected as governor ofOsaka Prefecture in the same election cycle.[5]
As governor, Aoshima cancelled a costly "World City" exposition that GovernorShun'ichi Suzuki planned to have held inOdaiba in 1996, calling it a "legacy of the bubble economy era".[6] In the wake of this act, which had formed the bulk of the basis for Aoshima's gubernatorial campaign, his administration was viewed as largely ineffective.[7] He resigned after four years in office, by which time he was known as "Mr. Broken Manifesto".[1]
During his tenure as governor, Aoshima became the target of an assassination attempt in May 1995, when a parcel bomb was mailed to his Tokyo office. The bomb, intended for Aoshima, exploded in the face of his assistant, severely wounding him. It is believed that the bomb was mailed by members of the Japanesedoomsday cultAum Shinrikyo. Aum member Naoko Kikuchi was accused of the bombing but was acquitted after a trial in 2015.[8]
Aoshima ran for the House of Councillors again in the2001 election and the2004 election but failed to win a seat. He died ofmyelodysplastic syndrome in December 2006 at the age of 74.[1]
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