Japan Press Weekly

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2018 June 6 - 12 [POLITICS]

Joint opposition candidate wins Nakano mayoral election

In the mayoral election held on June 11 in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward, a joint candidate of the anti-Abe opposition parties and concerned citizens, Sakai Naoto, defeated the incumbent candidate who was endorsed by the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties.

Backed by the Japanese Communist Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and a Tokyo local political party Seikatsusha Network, Sakai obtained 36,758 votes, 8,957 more votes than that his rival Tanaka Daisuke did. The voter turnout rate stood at 34.45%.

During the election campaign, Sakai criticized the ruling coalition-backed incumbent for pushing ahead with anti-people policies, such as the closure of all after-school care centers, the privatization of public day nurseries, and the promotion of large-scale development projects, in defiance of residents’ opposition. Sakai appealed to voters by stating that his victory will put an end to the incumbent Tanaka-led government imposing heavier financial burdens on Nakano citizens, attracting support from a wide range of voters.

The head of a local citizens’ group calling for a people-oriented Nakano government, Nirasawa Susumu, said, “Opposition parties and concerned citizens unified on the single-issue of bringing an end to Mayor Tanaka’s politics. During the election campaign, we built and strengthened our mutual trust.”

The JCP concluded with Sakai a policy agreement and worked hard for his victory.