Long Hair, Tears, a Prison Wedding… The Background Behind Why the “Tachibana Theater” Staged by Defendant Takashi Tachibana of the “NHK Party” Was Largely Ignored

Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison

The sentencing hearing for the lay judge trial of defendant Shion Miyanishi (32), who attacked Takashi Tachibana (59), leader of the “Party to Protect the People from NHK,” with a machete, was held on October 9 at the Tokyo District Court,and the defendant was sentenced to nine years in prison (the prosecution had sought 12 years).

Last March, on a sidewalk in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, the defendant swung a machete at the head of Mr. Tachibana—who was running for governor of Chiba Prefecture at the time—causing injuries that required three weeks to heal.The hearings were held consecutively starting on the 2nd of this month, and Mr. Tachibana—who is currently in custody on charges of defamation against a former Hyogo Prefectural Assembly member—also attended under the victim participation system.

Mr. Tachibana, whose long hair—which appeared not to have been cut since last November—was combed back, stared intently at defendant Miyanishi with a serious expression. Although his face looked somewhat thinner, his complexion was healthy. He had shaved off the beard, which some reports had described as unkempt, specifically for this day.

Regarding his motive for the attack, defendant Miyanishi stated

“Because he’s the kind of person who would drive a council member to suicide,”

. Showing absolutely no remorse, when Mr. Tachibana asked him,

“Do you feel any remorse?”

he replied

he immediately replied,

.

The defendant’s parents divorced when he was a child, and he was raised by his mother. The elementary school he attended was plagued by classroom breakdown. After attending an alternative school, he graduated from a correspondence university, but after being fired from a part-time job at a coffee shop, he never held a steady job and lived off the 20 million yen inheritance from his late father.

The “Partner” He Married in Prison

Mr. Tachibana sympathized with the defendant and stated in court:

“I feel no anger toward Mr. Miyanishi; his circumstances are similar to my own upbringing. I can understand that his environment gave rise to a distorted sense of justice. I believe he is someone with whom I can speak from the heart—a person who can approach rehabilitation with strength,”

he declared, volunteering to serve as the defendant’s “rehabilitation mentor.” On October 6, during the third court hearing, he read aloud a letter he had written while the defendant was being held at the Tokyo Detention Center

“Let’s be friends, Tachibana,”

. Realizing that the defendant could not avoid a prison sentence, she said through tears,

“I got married in prison. My body may be disabled, but my heart is happy. Let’s do our best to get through this together, Miyanishi-kun,”

offering words of encouragement.

He appeared in court with long hair, and far from denouncing the defendant, he offered words of encouragement through his tears… The icing on the cake was his confession of a prison marriage. The woman in question is said to have been by Mr. Tachibana’s side for some time and is well-known among reporters who cover his case. In response to an inquiry from this website, a television network official stated,

“It felt like watching the ‘Tachibana Show’ for the first time in about a year. For him, it was a chance to step out of the Kobe Detention Center for the first time in a while and put himself in the spotlight. I think both the long hair and the marriage announcement were part of a carefully crafted plan,”

However, only a few media outlets reported these details; television stations and national newspapers limited their coverage to the bare minimum facts regarding the attempted murder case. The same television station official mentioned earlier said,

“My superiors specifically instructed me not to get drawn into the ‘Tachibana Theater’ and to simply report the facts matter-of-factly,”

he revealed, before speculating on the reason as follows:

“Both Mr. Tachibana’s offer to help rehabilitate the defendant and the prison wedding are stories unrelated to the main facts of the case. We simply need to accurately convey the defendant’s motives and sentencing. I think there’s also a need to reflect on having given Mr. Tachibana excessive coverage in the past,” said the same TV station insider.

In the defamation case in which Mr. Tachibana is the defendant, his detention has continued for an unusually long period. The Hyogo Prefectural Police are reportedly still furious that Mr. Tachibana spread false rumors regarding the deceased former prefectural assembly member.

“About a year of detention for defamation is exceptionally rare. While some have criticized this as ‘hostage justice,’ it seems unlikely he’ll be granted bail until the first hearing is over.As is evident from this trial, Defendant Tachibana’s theatrics are a threat. The date for the first hearing has not even been set yet. They likely want to curtail Defendant Tachibana’s influence and make him a ‘where are they now?’ figure,” said a social affairs reporter for a national newspaper.

Undeterred, Mr. Tachibana updated his official website on October 5 to announce his candidacy in the Takasago City constituency by-election for the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly—with nominations opening on the 16th and voting taking place on the 25th. This by-election was called following the death of incumbent Toshino Yamamoto. Mr. Tachibana will be running from behind bars.

“He’s trying every trick in the book to make his presence felt, isn’t he? I can just picture the authorities’ grim faces (laughs). He has also indicated his intention to run in the Amagasaki electoral district for the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly in the unified local elections next April,” said the same reporter from the national newspaper.

Just how much of a talking point will this become?