Tomio Okamura

Tomio Okamura (岡村 富夫, Okamura Tomio, born 4 July 1972)[1] is a Czech far-right[2][3][4] politician and entrepreneur of Moravian and Japanese descent. He founded the Czech political parties Dawn of Direct Democracy and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD). Since October 2013, he has been Member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic (MP), initially for Dawn of Direct Democracy and then from May 2015 for SPD (styled "SPD - Tomio Okamura"), of which he is also leader. He previously served as an independent Senator for Zlín district from October 2012 until his election to the Chamber of Deputies a year later.

For the Japanese Olympic skier, see Tomio Okamura (cross-country skier).
Tomio Okamura

MP
Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies
Assumed office
24 November 2017
Leader of Freedom and Direct Democracy
Assumed office
4 August 2015
Preceded byPosition established
Leader of Dawn of Direct Democracy
In office
1 July 2013 – 5 May 2015
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byMarek Černoch
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
Assumed office
26 October 2013
Senator from Zlín
In office
20 October 2012 – 26 October 2013
Preceded byJana Juřenčáková
Succeeded byPatrik Kunčar
Personal details
Born (1972-07-04) 4 July 1972
Tokyo, Japan
Political partyDawn of Direct Democracy
(2013–2015)
Freedom and Direct Democracy
(2015–present)
RelativesHayato Okamura (brother)
Osamu Okamura (brother)
Signature
Websitewww.tomio.cz

Early life and background

Okamura was born in Tokyo. His mother, Helena Okamura, born Holíková, a native of Moravian Wallachia, had moved there in 1966 following her marriage to Okamura's half-Japanese, half-Korean father, Matsu Okamura.[5][6][7][8] Tomio Okamura lived in Japan for the first ten years of his life before his mother returned with her sons to Czechoslovakia.[9][5][10] He spent a part of his childhood in a children's home in Mašťov in the Usti nad Labem Region, where he was severely bullied, causing him to have a stutter until the age of 22.[9] After leaving primary school he went on to study chemistry.

In his youth he worked as a waste collector and later a popcorn seller at a cinema in Japan.[11] Okamura is fluent in Czech, Japanese and English.

Business career

He started his business career in 1994 mainly focused on the travel and gastronomy industries. He also started publishing a quarterly Pivní magazín ("Beer Magazine"). He is the author or co-author of several books. His book Tomio Okamura – Český sen ("Tomio Okamura - The Czech Dream") became a top 10 best-seller in the Czech Republic in 2010.[12] In Spring 2011 his second book Umění vládnout ("The Art of Governance") was published. In 2012 he wrote a book Umění žít ("The Art of Living"). In 2013 he wrote two books – Umění přímé demokracie ("The Art of Direct Democracy") and Velká japonská kuchařka ("The Great Japanese Cookbook").

Okamura has links with a number of businesses including the Association of Czech Travel Agencies (Czech: Asociace českých cestovních kanceláří a agentur, AČCKA), where he was spokesman and vice-president.[11] Other businesses Okamura has run include travel agent Miki travel and food shop Japa.[11]

Okamura has been a judge on the Czech version of British BBC television programme Dragons' Den, known as Den D.[13]

Political career

Senate

In June 2012, Okamura, known previously as an advocate of direct democracy, announced his candidacy for the 2012 Czech Senate election as an independent candidate in Zlín.[6] In the October election, Okamura led after the first round with 30% of the vote.[14] Okamura won in a run-off against Stanislav Mišák, taking 66% of the vote and winning a seat in the Senate on 20 October 2012.[14][15]

In February 2013 Okamura was among a group of senators to sign a proposal to prosecute president Vaclav Klaus for high treason, regarding the amnesty announced by Klaus on finishing his term.[16] The proposal was rejected by the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic. Okamura also supported the constitutional amendment to abolish lifelong immunity for public officials.[17] His Senatorial term expired on his election to the Chamber of Deputies, after he had served in the Senate for one year and six days.

2013 Presidential candidacy

Immediately following his election to the Senate, Okamura announced his intention to stand in the 2013 presidential election.[15][18] Okamura's campaign submitted a list of 61,500 signatures.[19] However, on 23 November 2012, the Ministry of Interior announced that only 35,750 signatures could be validated, and his candidacy was therefore refused.[20] He appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court, which ruled that the Ministry of Interior had made an error while counting the signatures. Okamura appealed to the Ministry to re-calculate the signatures individually, rather than by estimation, but the appeal was denied.[21]

In reaction to this verdict, Okamura announced that it was a "political decision", and questioned the independence of the judiciary. Rejecting the verdict of the Constitutional Court, Okamura denounced the verdict as unfair and claimed that it was not possible to obtain justice in the Czech Republic.[21]

Dawn of Direct Democracy

In the 2013 parliamentary elections his party — Tomio Okamura's Dawn of Direct Democracy — obtained 342,339 votes (6.88%) and gained 14 seats. His previous senatorial mandate expired as a result of his election as a member of parliament.

Movement of Freedom and Direct Democracy

In May 2015 Okamura founded a new political grouping in the Czech Chamber of Deputies, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), a hard Eurosceptic,[22] anti-immigration,[22] and pro-direct democracy party.[23][24] The SPD is allied to the French National Rally via the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom European parliamentary alliance.

Okamura was reelected as a deputy in the 2017 legislative elections. The party came fourth, winning 22 seats.

Personal life

Okamura has two brothers; his older brother, Hayato, is an interpreter and translator, and in 2015 joined KDU-ČSL, standing for that party in Prague in the subsequent legislative elections in 2017.[25] His younger brother Osamu is an architect and university teacher. He has a son named Ruy from his three-year marriage to a Japanese woman.

In January 2012, it was reported that Okamura was dating a 20-year-old Czech student.[26]

References
  1. "Tomio Okamura - Profile on website of the Chamber of Deputies". Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  2. Tait, Robert (2017-12-15). "Far right to gather in Prague as fears grow of rising Czech populism". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  3. "Far-right scores surprise success in Czech election". Reuters. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  4. "How a Tokyo-Born Outsider Became the Face of Czech Nationalism". Bloomberg.com. 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  5. Okamura, Tomio (30 November 2012). "Online interview with Tomio Okamura". Tn.cz. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  6. Bořil, Martin (3 June 2012). "Okamura bude kandidovat do Senátu, kvůli matce si vybral Zlín" [Okamura will run for the Senate, he chose Zlín because of his mother]. idnes.cz (in Czech). Mladá fronta DNES. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  7. Bartoníček, Radek. "Tomio v Bystřici vyhrává volby, Hayata zná málokdo. Bratr je extrém, říká místním nejstarší Okamura", Aktuálně.cz, Prague, 22 September 2017. Retrieved on 25 April 2019.
  8. Sládek, Luděk. "TIP NA VÝLET S TOMIEM OKAMUROU", KAM po Česku, 02 May 2009. Retrieved on 25 April 2019.
  9. Šebek, Stanislav (17 April 2011). "Nemám žádné starosti a každý den dobrou náladu" [I don't have any worries and I am in a good mood every day]. Domažlický deník (in Czech). Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  10. Odstrčilik, Marek; Lorenc, David (25 November 2009). ""I dreamed of Rocky in my childhood", recalls entrepreneur Tomio Okamura". iDNES.cz. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  11. Žižková, Markéta (20 October 2012). "Zloději se nám smějí do ksichtu, je čas na změnu, cílí Okamura na Hrad". lidovky.cz (in Czech). Lidové noviny. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  12. Dvořák, Jan (10 May 2011). "Politika není špinavá, špinavý může být jen politik, říká Tomio Okamura" [Politics isn't dirty, only politicians can be dirty, says Tomio Okamura]. idnes.cz (in Czech). Mladá fronta DNES. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  13. Velinger, Jan (16 January 2011). "The good, the bad & the ugly in the dragon's den". radio.cz. Czech Radio. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  14. "Výsledky hlasování - volby.cz". volby.cz.
  15. Procházková, Petra; Libiger, Milan (20 October 2012). "Podnikatel Okamura se stal senátorem, teď chce dobýt Hrad" [Entrepreneur Okamura becomes senator, now wants to conquer the castle]. idnes.cz (in Czech). Mladá fronta DNES. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  16. "Seznam 28 senátorů, kteří žalují Klause za velezradu. Podívejte se" [List of the 28 Senators, who voted to sue Klaus for treason]. lidovky.cz. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  17. Senát PČR: 6. schůze, 6. hlasování, 20.03.2013, 22. 3. 2013, senat.cz
  18. "Okamurovi škrtli 26 tisíc podpisů, dál nejde ani Bobošíková a Dlouhý". iDNES.cz. 23 November 2012.
  19. Jiřička, Jan (6 November 2012). "Česko zná všechny kandidáty na prezidenta. Jakl a Švejnar neprošli". iDNES.cz. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  20. "Rozhodnutí o odmítnutí kandidátní listiny" (in Czech). Czech Ministry of the Interior. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  21. Koděra, Petr (13 December 2012). "Bobošíková má cestu na Hrad volnou, Okamura a Dlouhý zvažují stížnost k Ústavnímu soudu". iHNed.cz. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  22. "Okamura registers new anti-immigrant party Freedom and Direct Democracy". spd.cz. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  23. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Czechia". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  24. demokracie, SPD - Svoboda a přímá. "Program - SPD - Svoboda a přímá demokracie". www.spd.cz.
  25. "Druhý Okamura ve Sněmovně? Chci očistit naše jméno, říká Tomiův bratr Hayato". Lidovky.cz. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  26. Herrmannová, Nela (22 January 2012). "Tomio Okamura: S přítelkyní jsme si první dva měsíce jen psali" [Tomio Okamura: My girlfriend and I only wrote to each other for the first two months]. idnes.cz (in Czech). Mladá fronta DNES. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

Further reading
  • Hloušek, Vít; Kopeček, Lubomír; Vodová, Petra (2020). The Rise of Entrepreneurial Parties in European Politics. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-41916-5.
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