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Sunday, May 5, 2002    Thoughts of an accidental politician
Kyosen Ohashi was born in Tokyo in 1934 and studied journalism
at Waseda University. He enjoyed a long career as a respected
jazz critic and TV presenter, before quitting the entertainment
world in 1990.  News photo Kyosen Ohashi stands before the Diet
building after being elected to the House of Councilors last
July.(below). Nine months later and free of political
commitments, the writer and former TV celebrity shared his views
on politics in Japan with The Japan Times. News photo  Last
year, he shocked his fans by running for the Diet as a candidate
for the Democratic Party of Japan. He was elected, but resigned
just six months later. (His seat is now filled by Finnish-born
Marutei Tsurunen, profiled in last month's Close-Up)  Ohashi is
also the author of the best-selling lifestyle book "Jinsei no
Sentaku (A Choice in Life),