| Koichi Toyama | |
| Native Name: | 外山 恒一 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Birth Date: | July 26, 1970 |
| Birth Place: | Kirishima, Kagoshima, Japan |
| Occupation: | Political activist |
is a Japanese street musician and a fringe political activist who was a candidate for the governor of Tokyo in the year 2007. He was born in Kagoshima Prefecture and lives in Fukuoka. He gained notoriety with his provocative 2007 Tokyo gubernatorial election speech.[1] [2]
While his background was an intense revolt against the formal high-school education system,[3] he has been described as having a left-wing history and labeled a nihilist.[3] Koichi has written several books.[3] Toyama describes himself as a fascist.[4]
As a candidate for Governor of Tokyo in 2007, Toyama Koichi was entitled to record a 5-minute televised campaign statement, during which he denounced majority rule and called upon Japan's political minority to join him in overthrowing the government.
In response to the viral spread of Toyama Koichi's statement online, the Tokyo election commission asked YouTube to remove election speeches of candidates, allegedly to "ensure fairness" among candidates, because YouTube had "allowed only certain candidates" speeches "to be viewed freely on the site", according to an election official. According to Japanese election law, the broadcasting of speeches is only allowed on public broadcaster NHK.[5]