Bin Akao

Bin Akao (赤尾敏, Akao Bin; 15 January 1899 – 6 February 1990) was a Japanese far-right (uyoku) politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives of Japan during World War II. He was arrested 25 times for political activities. Akao was cofounder and first president of the Kenkokukai and became one of the leading ultranationalists in Japan during the 1920s. Akao was elected to the House of Representatives as an independent in 1942 and espoused a unique type of Japanese nationalism characterized by support for the United States and opposition to the Pacific War. Akao founded and became the first president of the far-right Greater Japan Patriotic Party in 1951 and continued to adamantly champion pro-United States, pro-British, and radical anti-communist stances in post-war Japan. He was known for his fiery street corner speeches, often delivered from noise trucks adorned with the Japanese flag, American flag, and Union Jack. He never held a salaried job, entering politics in his early twenties, and continued street activism into his nineties. Members of the Greater Japan Patriotic Party, both aged 17, were responsible for the 1960 assassination of Japan Socialist Party chairman Inejirō Asanuma and the Shimanaka incident. Akao, who was present at the Hibiya Public Hall when Otoya Yamaguchi fatally stabbed Asanuma, publicly praised the act; newsreel footage from Mainichi News recorded him saying the assassin "did well" and calling him "great," while a contemporary report quoted him describing Yamaguchi as "a paragon of Japanese virtue" and Asanuma’s death as "heaven-sent punishment." Akao was questioned and temporarily arrested in connection with both incidents, but was never charged with directing either attack.