Adored by large sections of the Japanese public, reviled in equal measure by the foreign community and courted tirelessly by the domestic media: There are few more divisive figures in Japan today than Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara.
The septuagenerian populist can rarely open his mouth without offending at least one section of society.
Over the course of his career, Ishihara has incurred the wrath of (among others) the Chinese, Koreans, the French and old women everywhere, and written a musical version of "Treasure Island."