In memory of Inejiro Asanuma, a Japanese politician, and leader of the Japan Socialist Party. A noted public speaker, Asanuma was unusual in postwar Japan for his forceful advocacy of socialism, and his support of the Chinese Communist Party was particularly controversial. In the 1930s, Asanuma became a socialist and served in the Diet from 1936. However, he withdrew his candidacy from the 1942 election and retired from politics until after the war. He was widely criticized for a 1959 incident where he went to Communist-controlled Mainland China and called the United States the shared enemy of China and Japan. When he returned from this trip he wore a Mao suit while disembarking from his plane in Japan, sparking criticism even from Socialist leaders. On October 12, 1960, Asanuma was assassinated by 17-year-old Otoya Yamaguchi, a militant nationalist, during a televised political debate for the coming elections for the House of Representatives. While Asanuma spoke from the lectern at Tokyos Hibiya Hall, Yamaguchi rushed onstage and ran his wakizashi through Asanumas abdomen, killing him. Japanese television company NHK was video recording the debate for later transmission and the tape of Asanumas assassination was shown many times to millions of viewers. youtube/watch?v=D4KROpdUkrM
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 07:28:53 +0000
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