Japan Press Weekly

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2017 November 15 - 21 [POLITICS]

Met with public criticism, Tokyo Gov. Koike resigns as Hope Party head

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko on November 14 resigned from the post as the head of her own political party. She in the runup to the latest national election drove a wedge in the unity between concerned citizens and four opposition parties (JCP, DP, SDP, LP).

Koike launched her national party named the Party of Hope on September 25 when Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announced the dissolution of the House of Representatives for a snap election. She herself became the party head and brought a lot of Democratic Party parliamentarians into her party. She, however, allowed only former DP lawmakers who support the security legislation (war laws) and constitutional amendments to run on the Hope Party ticket. This "policy of excluding" pro-constitution DP members led voters to realize that the Hope Party is just "another supplement" to the ruling parties and the Abe-led government. As a result, the Hope Party got thrashed in the general election.

Japanese Communist Party member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Oyama Tomoko, the secretary general of the JCP Tokyo assemblypersons' group, issued the following statement regarding Koike's resignation:

"In the latest general election, Governor Koike took a stand which was the same as that of the Liberal Democratic Party, favoring the security legislation and promoting changes in the Constitution and Article 9. She also used her influence in Tokyo metropolitan politics as a steppingstone to her own entrance into national politics. This led to a loss of Tokyoites' trust in Governor Koike. Amid fierce public criticism, she was driven to step down as the Hope Party leader."

"Tokyo has a mountain of pressing issues to be solved such as the relocation of Tokyo's central wholesale market, issues concerning the 2020 Olympics, and countermeasures to deal with Tokyo's falling birthrate and aging population. The JCP assemblypersons' group will urge Governor Koike to never again use the metropolitan office as her steppingstone toward national politics. We will continue pressing her to keep the promise she made with Tokyo voters to protect food safety and reconsider the market relocation project. The JCP assemblypersons' group will confront Governor Koike from the standpoint of defending Tokyo citizens' livelihoods and welfare."

Past related articles:
> Longing for Article 9 revision, advisor to PM Abe thanks Hope Party for breaking up DP [October 26, 2017]
> DP’s confusion over Hope Party angers concerned citizens [October 2, 2017]
> DP will merge with new rightist party, betraying its promise to concerned citizens [September 29, 2017]
> Tokyo Governor’s new party is rightwing constitutional revisionist [September 26, 2017]