Japan Press Weekly

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2016 November 9 - 15 [POLITICS]

Opposition-backed candidate becomes next Tsukuba City mayor

A candidate supported by opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, became the next mayor of Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture after beating two rivals in the city mayoral election on November 13.

In the city assembly race held on the same day, all three JCP candidates secured a seat in the 28-member council for which 38 candidates contested. The three received 7.64% of total votes cast by campaigning for cuts in national insurance premiums, free medical programs for children up to 18 years old, and a more convenient community bus service. They appealed to voters that a vote for the JCP will protect their livelihoods and overall social welfare programs.

The mayor-elect is Igarashi Tatsuo. During the election campaign, the 38-year-old former assemblyperson promised that he will establish a residents-oriented administration in cooperation with citizens. This call attracted many voters, defeating an LDP-backed successor to the incumbent and an ex-Dietmember.

His opponent camps throughout the campaign made outdated anticommunist attacks, shouting, “We must not hand world-famous Tsukuba over to the candidate who is aligned with the JCP.” With this attack, they lost voters’ trust and support.