Tokyo Gubernatorial Election 2020: Candidate Profile for Teruki Goto

This is the 12th post introducing candidates in the Tokyo governor race.

Check the other candidate profiles using these links: Koike; Utsunomiya; Ono; Yamamoto; Sakurai; Komiyama; Takemoto; Nishimoto; Sekiguchi; Oshikoshi; Horiemon New Party.

The goal of these profiles is to get readers to know all the candidates on one website. I want to help people find information with minimal effort.

This post will focus on Teruki Goto and his policies.

Bio

Goto’s election poster (dressed up as an anime character) broke the Internet last week.

A candidate in the Tokyo governor election cosplayed as the Code Geass character Lelouch Lamperouge.

Enough said.https://t.co/BIobKu6aYR pic.twitter.com/jPn29Ouh6u

— Anime News Network (@Anime) June 23, 2020

This week, his “wild,” half-naked display on a TV election broadcast led to controversy over freedom of speech. Some said he violated every TV standard/ethical code, while others praised him for taking it that far (was sort of like a rant).

2020 Policies

From the official campaign bulletin introducing each candidate. I took out some of the unrealistic, bizarre policies.

COVID-19 Response

• Use budget on creating a vaccine, isolating patients, and reinforcing the healthcare system
• Make the use of masks outdoor mandatory
• Ban excessive self-restraint (stay at home)
• Nominate Moriyo Kimura to be the vice-governor of the COVID-19 response 
• Use Sweden’s response + Estonia’s digitalization process as examples

Economy

• Ban use of cash
• Install vertical seats (stand-up seats) to make flights cheaper (Tokyo~Osaka would be 1000 yen)
• Provide 10,000 yen cosmetic treatment coupons every month 
• Issue the digital “Tokyo yen” & provide each citizen 20,000 yen a month tax-free (more or less money depending on income/AI scores trustworthiness)

Society

• Conduct surveillance of defamation through the use of AI 
• Change prices + limit passengers to prevent overcrowding trains
• Oppose penalizing illegal downloads
• Legalize cannabis 
• Reconstruct Edo castle
• Legalize polygamy
• Create an airport at the Umihotaru Parking Area (highway rest stop that sits on top of a sea)
• Create a theme park promoting anime, manga, and superheroes where Haneda Airport previously was (assuming that Tokyo’s airport would be moved to Umihotaru)
• Legalize euthanasia
• Legalize designer babies (genetically modified babies)
• Make the NHK (Japan Broadcast Corp.) a state-run patriotic broadcasting station (no more subscription fees) 
• Use microchips or biometric scans to replace IDs, keys, and wallets

Administrative Reform

• Nominate AI to be vice-governor + aim to implement self-driving in the near future
• Abolish pensions, unemployment insurance, and social benefits/public assistance
• Digitize public services (paperless/hanko, stamp-less)
• Centralize the Individual Number, biometrics, bank accounts, personal info, drivers license, and other personal data 

First Impressions

• Can’t really take him seriously 
• His election broadcast broke the Internet (it was controversial)
• There’s so much to be said about the policies—it’s beyond whether the policies are realistically attainable or not