Morihiro Hosokawa, the former prime minister who rocked and transformed Japanese politics in the early 1990s, is back, this time as a leading candidate for Tokyo governor, running as an anti-nuclear crusader seeking the abolishment of all atomic power plants.
But questions linger about the credentials of the man who, in 1993, became a national hero when he broke the Liberal Democratic Party's long-standing grip on power.
Now 76, Hosokawa was indeed a political superstar 20 years ago. This time around, however, he's failed to stir excitement, despite intensive media coverage and support from popular ex-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has joined Hosokawa's anti-nuclear drive.