Shuntaro Torigoe
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(born 13 March 1940) is a Japanese journalist and political activist.


Early life

Born in 1940 in Yoshi-cho, Ukiha-gun,
Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...
(now Ukiha City). His father's name was Toshio, and he was given the name Shuntaro, taking on Toshio's first character. His father graduated from university and went to work for a company, and after being bullied in the workplace, he developed neurosis, and when Shuntaro was born, he was admitted to the psychiatric ward of
Kyushu University , abbreviated to , is a public research university located in Fukuoka, Japan, on the island of Kyushu. Founded in 1911 as the fourth Imperial University in Japan, it has been recognised as a leading institution of higher education and resear ...
. In 1946, he entered primary school and became the first student to receive post-war education. After attending Kurume University High School, he graduated from Kyoto University's Department of Literature (majoring in Japanese History) in 1965, studying for two years as he became absorbed in the student movement. In 1965, he joined the Mainichi Shimbun. His first position was at the Niigata branch.


Journalism career

Torigoe was born in present-day
Ukiha, Fukuoka file:Tsuzura-tanada, Ukiha 01.jpg, 270px, Tsuzura rice terraces is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 27,723 in 11449 households, and a population density of 240 persons per k ...
and graduated from
Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...
. He began his reporting career with the ''
Mainichi Shimbun The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...
'' in 1965. He served at one point as the ''Mainichi'' correspondent in
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
, and traveled to the front lines of the
Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
in 1984, becoming the only Japanese journalist to do so. He left Mainichi in 1989 and thereafter was known for his role as a commentator on
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
news programs. He was named editor-in-chief of OhMyNews Japan in 2006. Torigoe was diagnosed with stage IV
colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...
in 2005 and underwent several years of treatment, including four operations. He published a book on the experience entitled ''Cancer Patient''.


Political career

Torigoe became active in the opposition to
collective security Collective security is arrangement between states in which the institution accepts that an attack on one state is the concern of all and merits a collective response to threats by all. Collective security was a key principle underpinning the Lea ...
legislation in 2015 and took part in demonstrations at the
National Diet Building The is the building where both houses of the National Diet, National Diet of Japan meet. It is located at Nagatachō, Tokyo, Nagatachō 1-chome 7–1, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Sessions of the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives ta ...
.


2016 Tokyo gubernatorial election

Shortly following the July 2016 upper house election, in which pro-constitutional amendment parties secured a two-thirds supermajority in both houses of the Diet, Torigoe declared his candidacy for the Tokyo gubernatorial election with the support of the Democratic Party.
Kenji Utsunomiya is a Japanese lawyer and former chair of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. Overviews He spent much of his career helping debtors overcome the burden of multiple loans. He was the head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations from 2 ...
, who ran with DPJ support in the 2014 gubernatorial election, withdrew one day before the start of the campaign in order to boost Torigoe's chances against pro-establishment rivals Hiroya Masuda and
Yuriko Koike Yuriko Koike (小池 百合子, Koike Yuriko; born 15 July 1952) is a Japanese politician who has served as the Governor of Tokyo since 2016. Previously, she was also served as a member of the House of Councillors from 1992 to 1993, a member o ...
. A Torigoe's sex scandal more than 10 years old was reported by two weekly magazines, ''
Shukan Bunshun A week is a unit of time equal to seven days. It is the standard time period used for short cycles of days in most parts of the world. The days are often used to indicate common work days and rest days, as well as days of worship. Weeks are ofte ...
'' and ''Shukan Shincho'', where he is alleged to have seduced a 20-year old university student. Torigoe has called the allegations groundless. However Utsunomiya wrote in an open letter to Torigoe that "from looking at the article itself, we cannot consider the case to be groundless," and called on Torigoe to publicly explain the situation at a press conference as a condition for Utsunomiya's public support.


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torigoe, Shuntaro 1940 births Living people Japanese journalists Kyoto University alumni Academic staff of Kansai University People from Ukiha, Fukuoka Tokyo gubernatorial candidates 21st-century Japanese politicians