Ishihara unrepentant over bomb barb - Japan

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara remained unrepentant Thursday about his remark that Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Tanaka "deserved" the bomb that was placed in his garage, saying the act reflects public anger toward the bureaucrat's stance on North Korea.

"I am not saying that a man should be killed, but I am saying there is a reason that he faced such an incident," Ishihara said outside Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo while stumping for Shizuka Kamei, one of the candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election.

Tanaka is the key government official for negotiations and policymaking on North Korea. His secretive approach and emphasis on dialogue with Pyongyang has often been criticized as being too soft.

Despite a barrage of criticism that his earlier remark condones acts of terrorism, Ishihara ramped up his attack on Tanaka.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030912a2.htm

A little of that Bush magic spreading around the world

The target, a key man in N. Korea talks, calls the act `despicable.'

A group targeting ``traitors to Japan'' claimed responsibility for a time bomb found Wednesday at the home of the nation's pointman in talks with North Korea.

The bomb was removed from the home of Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Tanaka in Tokyo's Meguro Ward.

Tanaka and his seven family members were evacuated to a police facility while the unexploded device was removed.

``I am not shaken by this incident,'' Tanaka told The Asahi Shimbun. ``The Foreign Ministry cannot tolerate this either. I cannot find any words to describe this incident, except `despicable.'''

http://www.asahi.com/english/international/K2003091100205.html

No mention of Tokyo Governor.

I wonder who was clapping for him at Ikebukuro?

war and violence as a way to solve the worlds problems is an addiction.
we all gave a lot of growing up to do.