Chinese and South Korean media on Tuesday reported the death of author and former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara as breaking news, respectively calling him a "right-wing politician" and "Japan's far-right nonsense maker."
In contrast, Taiwan media report said the former governor was friendly to the self-ruled democratic island, praising him for his tough stance against Beijing.
A report by The Global Times, a tabloid of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, said Ishihara announced a plan in 2012 for the Tokyo metropolitan government to buy the disputed Senkaku Islands, which led to Japan's decision to nationalize them and resulted in the deterioration of bilateral relations.
The group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea are controlled by Japan but called Diaoyu in China, with Beijing arguing they are its "inherent territory."
On Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter, numerous comments were posted on the death of the staunch hawk, such as "the culprit who severely damaged China-Japan relations."
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported the death of Ishihara and referred to his remark that Japan's 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula was for self-defense, criticizing him as "contributing to the far-right movement of Japan."
The report also said Ishihara denied the Japanese government's role in coercing "comfort women" to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported on Ishihara's activities as a politician favorably, touching on the Tokyo metropolitan government's plan in 2012 to purchase the Senkaku Islands and his visit to Taiwan in 2000 to attend the inauguration ceremony of then President Chen Shui-bian.
The novelist and former politician, who also served as a lawmaker in the Diet, was known for his nationalistic views. He has died, his family said Tuesday. He was 89.
Related coverage:
Hawkish ex-Tokyo governor, author Ishihara dies at 89
