"Thank you, everyone," wrote Toshio Tamogami in his weekly column in Shukan Asahi Geino (Feb. 27). "This has given me great courage toward my next move."
Tamogami, former chief of staff of the Air Self-Defense Force, received 610,865 votes in Tokyo's gubernatorial election on Feb. 9, accounting for roughly 12 percent of the valid votes (and nearly a quarter of those cast by voters in their 20s). His fourth-place showing served as evidence that the so-called netto-uyo — right-wing supporters active on the Internet — can no longer be disregarded as a force to be reckoned with.
Tamogami's strong showing did not come as a surprise to everyone. On Jan. 19 — three weeks before the election — the Yukan Fuji cited an Internet survey by Radio Nikkei News. Of 8,220 votes received, Tamogami received 6,835 — 83.15 percent of the total.