Operation Tokdo Freedom© Update

It takes one to know one:

Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara on Sunday fired a broadside at Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, saying his criticism of Japan was a “a third-rate political technique” to recover popularity at home. Appearing on a Fuji TV interview program, Ishihara said Roh’s repeated criticism of Japan over its colonial abuses and the Dokdo Islets was “a stopgap measure for President Roh to recover some of his popularity.” He added, “For a politician it’s a third-rate technique.”

You may remember Mr. Ishihara for some of his past public statements, such as this beaut:

In an April 9 speech to Japan’s Self Defense Forces (the nation’s term for its military), he warned that foreigners could be expected to riot in the aftermath of a natural disaster such as an earthquake. “Atrocious crimes have been committed again and again by sangokujin [a derogatory term for foreigners] who have illegally entered Japan . . . .”