Professional Luncheon
Shintaro Ishihara
Governor of Tokyo

The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation

* Initial reservations are limited to four tickets and may be subject to further change.

At 79, four-term Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara is still going strong and very much a man in the spotlight.

As the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) struggles to get its act together only three years in office, Ishihara is taking the issue of Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea into his own hands by planning to buy some of the islands. If the central government doesn't act, his metropolitan government has no choice but to make a purchase, he says.

He is also keeping the option of returning to national politics open and the buzz is that he may establish a new party to overhaul the nation's political landscape.

In addition, Ishihara has been advocating joint use of the U.S. Yokota Air Base before the base is returned to Japanese control.

Ishihara now faces a request from a citizens' group seeking a referendum to determine whether nuclear reactors in Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s service area should be restarted.

He is also proposing building casinos in the Odaiba waterfront and is at the forefront of Tokyo's campaign to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Ishihara won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for his novel "Season of the Sun" shortly after graduation from Hitotsubashi University. He turned to politics, initially becoming a member of the House of Councillors and later the House of Representatives.

He was been Tokyo governor since 1999.

Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo