Ever since Yuriko Koike took over as governor of Tokyo, she's had to deal with incompetence passed down from her predecessors. The fish market move from Tsukiji to Toyosu is no exception.
Thorough investigations have found that someone, somewhere, within the labyrinth that is Japanese bureaucracy, is responsible for the mess. Koike has determined that since the decision for the move happened under former Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's watch, it's his responsibility. It seems to me to be a straightforward and characteristically Japanese conclusion — those at the top take the fall for major errors.
However, Ishihara isn't acting like your typical Japanese boss. At a special hearing, he pulled a Trump-like move: deflect and cast blame on others.
His excuses, quoted in "Tsukiji not all on me: Ishihara" in the March 4 edition, do not put me at ease. If anything, they make him seem even more suspicious. "I'm not a specialist" and "I only put on the seals as a chief executive" do not make one sound like a competent leader who cares about the safety and well-being of his constituents.
Needless to say, I'm looking forward to what he has to say for himself at the next hearing on March 20.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.