Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, head of Asia's wealthiest metropolis, says the United States and China will form stronger ties and leave Japan behind because of the two countries' "money worship."
"The U.S. will gravitate more and more toward China at the expense of Japan as it seeks short-term benefit," Ishihara, 75, said in a recent interview. "American and Chinese people share a similar value for just money, money, money."
Japan's adoption of U.S.-style capitalism has led to a wealth gap between urban and rural areas, he added. The coauthor of the 1989 best-seller "The Japan That Can Say No," also reiterated his view that the country should scrap its security treaty with the U.S. and strengthen its military.
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