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Region: Greater Middle East

Ezo kyouwakoku

The Ezo Shimpō | 蝦夷新報

EXCLUSIVE: An Interview with President Tokugawa

It has almost been exactly eight years since President Iehiro Tokugawa took power as the President of the Republic, and much has changed since then. Senior Editor of the Ezo Shimpō, Takehiro Hosokawa, sits down with President Tokugawa to discuss his past two terms in office and what's next in his political future, with the next election coming in 2020. The full transcript of the interview follows:

Hosokawa: Mr. President, I thank you very much for agreeing to sit down with the Shimpō today. It's an honor to interview you for the second time in regards to your term in office. Let's get straight into the questions with this: Do you intend to run again for a third term as President?
Tokugawa: It's a pleasure to be here, Mr. Hosokawa. As for your question, I'll leave you and all the readers of the paper in the dark for now. Whether or not I intend to run for a third term will be my own decision when the time comes for my party to nominate its candidate. Of course, I've thought about running for the third time, but it is unprecedented; no president has ever run more than twice, after all. However, I'm leaving the door open, and I will let you know when I make my decision.
Hosokawa: I guess that means we'll have to wait until that time comes then. Onto the next question: with an approval rating of near 79% nearing the end of your term, is there anything that you regret not doing during your second term that you wish you acted on?
Tokugawa: Well, if anything, I suppose I wish I had focused more on helping out the people in the lower class. Under my government, we've increased defense spending from ¥290 billion to ¥337 billion, a 13% increase from my previous term. However, despite this boost in social service spending, the rural villages across the nation are still suffering from a lack of welfare and government aid. From Karafuto Prefecture to Chishima Prefecture, many of the villages are suffering. I hope that my successor will be able to help these people more than I have in my current term.
Hosokawa: Mr. President, your party, the Sokudo o Otosu no Tō (Slow Down Party), had only received its upbringing after you were elected to power back in 2012. Do you think that, with the election coming up next year, your party will continue to make the big gains that you've made these past two elections, or do you believe that the opposition parties will overtake you?
Tokugawa: I will admit that my party, having me stand as the candidate for the presidency almost 8 years ago, only achieved true success thanks to my family's background, but our party has multiple strong members and candidates standing as well! Not only is the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Suzuki, very popular in his hometown of Sapporo and Vice-President Tokunaga a well-known former national television host, but many of our sitting assembly members have worked in their communities for years. It is my hope that my party will continue to win more seats in the Kokumin Sengumi, but there is always a possibility that the opposition will make stronger gains than us. As I said before, I won't make any predictions at this time and will leave all doors open.
Hosokawa: Mr. President, thank you so much for this interview. We wish you the best in these last few months as the campaign begins soon.
Tokugawa: It's been a pleasure, as always.

President Tokugawa has been a prominent figure within our Great Republic of Ezo for years, having hailed from the Tokugawa clan, which once ruled all of Nippon before they were defeated by the Japanese Imperialists. His great-great-grandfather, Tokugawa Iesato, served as the first head of the Tokugawa clan post-bafuku.

Takehiro Hosokawa has been the senior editor for The Ezo Shimpō for the past 6 years. He previously worked in news organizations across the world, covering as an international correspondent based in the Republic of Ezo.

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