Staff writer
Man Mikami is known by his friends as a man who carries everything on his shoulders. They say he has rarely turned down requests and has always devoted himself to helping others.
The 67-year-old former schoolteacher, who is said to have been the model for the popular TV drama series "Kinpachi Sensei" ("Teacher Kinpachi"), seeks to shoulder a huge responsibility this time -- the administration of the nation's capital, which is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. "(The request to run for governor) came to me all of a sudden," Mikami told reporters, explaining how he became determined to run. "But as a person who contributed to the making of the (Ryokichi) Minobe administration, I have always wanted to bring back the brilliance of a reformist administration (to the metropolis)."