TOKYO —

Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara on Tuesday welcomed new employees to the metropolitan government, requesting them to have “creative and flexible minds.” Addressing the new full-time employees, Ishihara said: “People tend to have homogeneous ideas, wishing for stability and continuity (in their organization). But we cannot survive that way in a rapidly changing society.”

In regard to the Tokyo Olympic campaign, he criticized private advertising agencies, saying, “As an artist, I thought the catchphrases for the campaign that are being suggested by the private sector are rubbish. We cannot solely rely on the private sector. We can make use of your ideas.”

The metropolitan government recruited 1,150 new full-time employees as of April 1, except teachers, police officers and firefighters. About 930 of the new employees attended the ceremony. 

7 Comments

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  jerseyboy at 04:43 PM JST - 1st April

  Did he require that all new employees open an account in ShinGinko bank?

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  Helly at 05:10 PM JST - 1st April

  So how many of the "new employees" were non-Japanese?

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  kinniku at 05:12 PM JST - 1st April

  Helly,

  Ummmm....my guess... none.

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  some14some at 05:45 PM JST - 1st April

  Did he require that all new employees open an account in ShinGinko bank? I guess their parents might have deposited over Y10M

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  Patrick Smash at 12:19 AM JST - 2nd April

  Respect to the other 220 who didn't bother turning up; perhaps Japan does have a future after all.

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  realist at 01:28 AM JST - 2nd April

  The report doesnt tell us, but did they all have to raise their right arms in a Nazi Salute to Governor Ishihara, then bow to the flag and sing the Kimigayo? Zeig Heil!

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  fireant at 08:55 PM JST - 7th April

  “People tend to have homogeneous ideas, wishing for stability and continuity (in their organization). But we cannot survive that way in a rapidly changing society.”

  Did Ishihara write this speech? Is he really advocating Diversity in Thought?

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