All JCP candidates win Kitakyushu City election amid growing anger at LDP-Komei policies

Japan Press Weekly

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

All JCP candidates win Kitakyushu City election amid growing anger at LDP-Komei policies

All 10 Japanese Communist Party candidates won seats in the Kitakyushu City Assembly election on February 1, in which 61 seats were contested by 79 candidates.

Although the number of city assembly seats was cut by three, the JCP retained the 10 seats it previously held, increasing its share of assembly seats to 16.39 percent from the previous 15.63 percent. The JCP Kitakyushu City Assembly members' group is now the third largest JCP local assembly group after Kyoto and Osaka. Voter turnout was 50.33 percent.

In this election, which political parties regarded as a preliminary political battle to the upcoming House of Representatives general election, three Liberal Democratic Party candidates were defeated. The LDP suffered a loss of six seats from its pre-election strength.

Commenting on the Kitakyushu City Assembly election results on the following day, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi said, "This represents strong public criticism against the misgovernment of the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties, not only over local policies but also over national policies."

During the election campaign, the JCP appealed to voters by saying that the JCP is a party that can stand firm to protect residents' livelihoods while standing up squarely against the LDP-Komei maladministration, a party that can speak up against large corporations, and a party that can put a stop to wasteful uses of tax money.

The JCP engaged in an election campaign linking local issues to national political issues, and this strategy won voters' confidence, Ichida pointed out.

Asked by reporters why the JCP was successful in Kitakyushu City, the hometown of Prime Minister Aso Taro, in contrast with the LDP suffering a setback, Ichida answered that it is because the city residents are infuriated by the ongoing employment crisis, the discriminative healthcare insurance system for people aged 75 and older, and the useless fixed-sum cash handouts.

- Akahata, February 3, 2009