"[2] Aoshima wrote the hit 1961 song Sudara Bushi (スーダラ節), performed by Hajime Hana and the Crazy Cats, of which Ueki was a member.

Aoshima characterized the song as "the saga of a happy-go-lucky salaryman who is unable to avoid the temptations of drink and gambling" with the resonant lyric "I know it's wrong, but I can't give it up."

He refused to give outdoor speeches in the style of other Japanese politicians, and instead went on a trip to Europe during the campaigning season.

Aoshima ran for Governor of Tokyo in 1995, without major party support and again without campaigning beyond state-sponsored posters and TV spots.

[6] In the wake of this act, which had formed the bulk of the basis for Aoshima's gubernatorial campaign, his administration was viewed as largely ineffective.

[1] During his tenure as governor, Aoshima became the target of an assassination attempt in May 1995, when a parcel bomb was mailed to his Tokyo office.