JCP wins five seats in Okinawa assembly election

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

JCP wins five seats in Okinawa assembly election

In the Okinawan Prefectural Assembly election on June 8, the Japanese Communist Party increased the number of its seats to five from three. By winning more than four seats, the JCP will have the right to introduce bills and question the governor at the plenary session of the prefectural assembly.

The JCP’s share in the 48-seat assembly has increased to 10.42 percent from the 6.25 percent before the election.

The ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties decreased the number of their seats from 27 to 22. For the first time in the last 16 years, the ruling bloc failed to keep its majority position in the assembly.

With their tradition of appreciating long lives, many Okinawan voters listened attentively to what the candidates had to say about the new national medical insurance system that separates the elderly aged 75 or older from the current system.

In addition to public criticism of the new medical system, the advance of the JCP, which calls for the abrogation of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty and removal of U.S. bases, also reflects Okinawans’ opposition to the planned construction of a new U.S. base in the Henoko district of Nago City.

During the election campaign, the JCP candidates also demanded that the prefectural government cut national health insurance premiums and provide free medical care for children until they graduate from junior high school.

Voter turnout was 57.82 percent, down 0.9 percentage points from the previous election. - Akahata, June 10, 2008