To his critics, Tomio Okamura blows a lot of hot air and shouldn't be taken too seriously. To his supporters, he embodies the no-nonsense, can-do approach they feel is needed to improve life in the Czech Republic.
Never out of the spotlight for long, Japan-born Okamura is leading the party he founded in May, Dawn of Direct Democracy, into this weekend's Czech general election. Current polls suggest the party will surpass the 5 percent threshold required to enter parliament.
"It is necessary to strengthen democratic elements and change the electoral system," Okamura said in an interview with The Japan Times. "At the moment, we have a political system that is extremely unstable and doesn't encourage politicians to be responsible."