In Memoriam: Shintaro Ishihara’s “Best Smile” for His Wife at an Upscale Italian Restaurant

Another man who colored the times has left the world.

Shintaro Ishihara, former governor of Tokyo and Akutagawa Prize-winning author. He passed away at the age of 89.

Mr. Ishihara won the Akutagawa Prize for his novel “Season of the Sun” when he was 24 years old and a student at Hitotsubashi University. The novel’s portrayal of manners and customs, which were novel at the time, created a boom among young people. The term “Sun Tribe” was even coined.

In 1968, he ran for election to the House of Councillors with the approval of the Liberal Democratic Party, and was elected with a record 3.01 million votes, and in 1972 he switched to the House of Representatives, where he served as Commissioner of the Environment Agency and Minister of Transportation. He became governor of Tokyo in 1999, and announced his retirement from politics in 2003, but he often appeared in good health afterwards, receiving the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

Two days before the opening of Toyosu

(Political insider) Two days before the opening of Toyosu, this magazine also witnessed Mr. Ishihara’s fresh smile after his retirement.

On a night in October 2006, a familiar car was parked in front of a high-end Italian restaurant in Daikanyama (Shibuya Ward), Tokyo. It was Mr. Ishihara’s pickup truck.

Just before 8:30 p.m., Mr. Ishihara emerges from the restaurant, wearing a jacket. His wife, Noriko, was with him. He was chatting with two women, who seemed to be present at the dinner, with big smiles on their faces.

Noriko was the first to go to the pickup truck. Mr. Ishihara watched intently as the driver and others helped Mrs. Noriko into the car, but when he saw that she was seated, he climbed into the back seat. His back was straight and he looked like he was in his 80s.

It was two days before the opening of the Toyosu market. It was two days before the opening of Toyosu Market, and Mr. Ishihara, who made the decision to relocate Toyosu when he was governor, was probably celebrating the opening with all his heart.

He is a novelist, politician, and critic. …… Mr. Ishihara was active in a wide variety of fields, making use of his wide range of talents. I pray that he may rest in peace.