The “Old Media” shows its tense coverage of Shinji Ishimaru’s alleged violation of the Public Election Law and “the real popularity of Ishimaru

1,128 people applied for the first round of candidates

Shinji Ishimaru, 42, who was the runner-up to Governor Yuriko Koike, 72, in last July’s Tokyo gubernatorial election, is in a cloud of doubt. A citizens’ group filed criminal charges against him on February 10 for alleged violation of the Public Offices Election Law, and on February 25, a university professor reportedly sent a complaint to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

In preparation for the June 22 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly elections, Ishimaru established a regional political party, “Rebirth Path,” and at a press conference held on February 26, he revealed that 1,128 people had applied for the first round of publicly solicited candidates.

The party intends to field candidates in all 42 electoral districts, and up to 60 candidates will be selected by around April after screening of documents and interviews.

Amid these circumstances, Ishimaru himself came under suspicion of violating the Public Election Law.

A “Shukan Bunshun” (weekly newspaper) and other media reported on a campaign rally held during last year’s gubernatorial election, and revealed that a cancellation fee of 977,350 yen had been paid to the production company, yet distribution work was carried out on the day of the rally. In response, criminal charges were filed against Ishimaru, and if the charges are accepted, he may be subject to investigation.

We had heard that Mr. Ishimaru was going to hold a press conference on the 11th, the day after the criminal charges were filed, but that was dropped. It seems that he learned at that time that Bunshun was carrying a follow-up report on the alleged violation of the Public Election Law. Ishimaru’s usual relaxed demeanor was gone.

At a “reorganization” press conference held on February 21, Ishimaru said

At a “reorganized” press conference on February 21, Ishimaru denied any involvement, saying, “It was not my idea to hold the rally, so I never had any intention to hold it in the first place.

He denied his own involvement. He denied that he was involved in the planning of the rally, saying, “It was not my idea.

I was aware that although the name “personnel expenses” was included in the estimate, it did not include actual expenses, so I was allowed to change it. If the person in charge said that with the intention of paying personnel expenses, that would be an illegal act, but that is not acceptable to the election campaign headquarters. （The person in charge also said that he had no intention to do so.

The person in charge also said that he had no intention to do so.

It is unclear whether the complaint will actually be accepted. A reporter in charge of metropolitan government affairs said

“The reporters are aware that the case is ‘almost gray, almost black. The rest will be left up to the discretion of the prosecutors.

The rest will be up to the prosecutors’ discretion.

Former “relatives” have also turned against him. Shinnosuke Fujikawa, the “god of elections” who served as “secretary general” of the campaign headquarters for the Tokyo gubernatorial election, has parted company with Ishimaru and told Bunshun about the allegations of violation of the Public Election Law.

I have no choice but to approve it,” he admitted on behalf of Ishimaru.

He admitted on behalf of Mr. Ishimaru that he “had no choice but to admit” to the allegations of violating the Public Election Law.

The fact that Mr. Fujikawa, who was the secretary general of the election campaign headquarters, admitted to the violation is a boost for the prosecutors. There are various theories as to the cause of the feud with Mr. Ishimaru, but it is said that Mr. Fujikawa felt alienated from him because of his petulant words. Recently, he sent a message to Mr. Fujikawa, who had been criticizing him in the media, saying, “Can you please stop that kind of thing?” He had sent a message to Mr. Fujikawa, who had been criticizing him in the media recently, saying, “Can you please stop doing that? Ishimaru is surrounded by yes-men.

Possibility of “It’s not my fault” campaign on social networking sites

Ishimaru’s approach has been to create an axis of confrontation with the old media and communicate it on social networking services, but this time he is on the defensive. The media are engaged in a fierce battle to cover the allegations,

TV Asahi is the most enthusiastic among them. The former in particular was harshly criticized by Ishimaru, and when he launched “The Way of Rebirth,” he boldly stated at a press conference that he would “hang him up. In the end, TV Asahi did not come to the press conference, not because they “ran away,” but because they decided that they did not need to bother with Mr. Ishimaru’s strategy. He decided not to go along with Mr. Ishimaru’s strategy because the video would be taken and uploaded anyway. TV Asahi is covering it with a different color of eye because of the history of the incident,” a source from a key station revealed.

A source at a key station said.

Ishimaru is now under the attack of the “old media. And now that even the “gods of elections” have abandoned him, does he have a chance in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election in June?

According to journalist Tetsuo Suzuki, “Even if he violated the Public Offices Election Law, he would not be able to win the election,

According to journalist Tetsuo Suzuki, “Even if he is found to have violated the Public Offices Election Law, it would only be up to the treasurer and would not extend to Ishimaru, who lost the election for governor of Tokyo. In fact, Mr. Ishimaru, who is skilled in social networking strategies, may even make the violation of the Public Offices Election Law a topic of conversation by conducting a “I’m not a bad person” campaign. The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly elections are based on a “midterm district system,” so to speak, and one can be elected even if he or she does not come out on top. The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly members will probably fight for the last seat in the election against LDP members who are struggling with the “slush fund” issue. There is a good chance that he can win that race. Fujikawa’s departure from the race will not have much of an impact.

At a press conference on February 26, Ishimaru was asked if he would take responsibility if he were found guilty of violating the Public Election Law,

No,” he replied. Even in the worst case scenario, there will be no obstacle to his political activities on the road to recovery.

Ishimaru was adamant. The counterattack by the old media, which Ishimaru has been “poking fun” at, has just begun, but it seems that Ishimaru’s popularity is still alive and well.