Yasuo TanakaTanaka Yasuo entered the Faculty of Law at Hitotsubashi University in 1976, writing Somehow, Crystal while still a student there, and received the Bungei Prize in 1980. He graduated shortly thereafter, and worked briefly in the corporate world beforeswitching to writing as a career. In 2000 he was elected governor of Nagano Prefecture as an independent. He soon attracted attention in Japan for policies radically different from those of the bureaucratic establishment, including halting construction of new dams and campaigning for environmental issues. In 2002, he was forced from office by a vote of no-confidence brought by conservative assemblymen, but won the ensuing election with an overwhelming margin. In 2005 he established the New Party Nippon with a handful of reform-minded members of the House of Representatives, and has served in various positions in national and local government since. Read More Read Less