22 Years Epitaph] In Memoriam, Shintaro Ishihara showed this magazine his “best smile” after retiring from politics.

On February 1, Shintaro Ishihara, author and former governor of Tokyo, passed away at the age of 89.

Ishihara won the Akutagawa Prize for his novel “Season of the Sun” in 1956 while a student at Hitotsubashi University. The novel, which depicted a young man leading a hedonistic life in a summer seaside setting, became a huge boom among young people, and even gave birth to the term “Taiyo-zoku,” or the “sun tribe. It was also made into a movie, with his younger brother, Yujiro Ishihara, cast in the lead role. It was Mr. Ishihara who triggered the birth of a major star of the Showa era.

In 1968, he ran for the House of Councillors with the official approval of the Liberal Democratic Party, and was elected for the first time with 3.01 million votes, the highest number in the history of the House of Councillors. Although he announced his retirement from politics in 2003, he was often seen in good health after that, including receiving the Order of the Rising Sun.

It was in October 2006, three years after his retirement from politics, that this magazine saw Mr. Ishihara. That night, Ishihara’s courtesy car was parked in front of a high-class Italian restaurant in Daikanyama (Shibuya Ward), Tokyo.

When Mr. Ishihara emerged with his wife Noriko and two women who appeared to have been present at the meal, they were all smiles and chatting. He then watched as the driver and others helped Noriko into the car, and when he saw that Noriko had sat down, he climbed into the back seat himself.

They were childhood friends and married in 1955. Noriko had four sons and was a woman who supported her politician husband behind his back. On March 8, one month after Ishihara’s death, Noriko died as if following him.

Her eldest son, Shintaro, 65, a former member of the House of Representatives, wrote on Twitter

My mother was very sad when my father, Shintaro, passed away. I think he left to be close to his father, whom he loved so much.

On December 20, Ishihara’s book, “My Father’s Bookmark: Longing” (Seishisha), was released. It is said to be a nonfiction book that describes Ishihara’s feelings toward his father, Kiyoshi, his younger brother, Yujiro Ishihara, and his four sons. Until the very end, Mr. Ishihara continued to communicate his thoughts. We can only pray for his soul rest in peace.