Obscure at home, 'Texas Daddy' is a right-wing darling in Japan
Obscure at home, 'Texas Daddy' is a right-wing darling in Japan
Reuters
By Jon Herskovitz
5 hours ago
. . .
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters)- Somewhere in the Dallas area, a retired man sitting in a home office is making social media videos backing Japanese right-wing views that have made him a celebrity among hawks in the Asian country.
Hardly known in the United States, Tony Marano, 66, is called the "Texas Daddy" in Japan, where he has spawned a small industry that includes books, speaking tours, T-shirts emblazoned with his cartoon likeness and scores of videos, some of which have been viewed more than 300,000 times. To his critics, however, he is a mouthpiece for Japanese nationalists.
"I am just expressing my opinion," said Marano in an accent that gives away his Brooklyn upbringing. "Why are they fearing this little guy? I don’t mean any harm to them."
He is one of a small group of Westerners embraced by Japan's right wing, but stands out with his jocular demeanor and sharp tongue.
Marano, who often wears T-shirts in videos and suits for speeches, unexpectedly grabbed attention in Japan about seven years ago when he began criticizing Sea Shepherd, a U.S.-based marine conservation group, in its aggressive campaigns to halt Japanese whaling.
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https://news.yahoo.com/obscure-home-texas-daddy-wing-darling-japan-160315436.html
