Japan Press Weekly

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2018 August 29 - September 4 [JCP]

All 15 JCP candidates win in 5 local elections

All 15 Japanese Communist Party candidates won in five local assembly elections held on September 2.

In Kami City in Kochi, the JCP increased its number of seats by one with all five candidates winning, achieving a 30% share of seats in the Kami City Assembly, the highest JCP percentage in Japan along with Kyoto's Muko City. In Matsubara City in Osaka, all four JCP candidates were successful and defended the JCP's current strength in the assembly. Despite cuts of two seats in the Takasago City Assembly in Hyogo, the JCP maintained its pre-election strength. In Sakuragawa City in Ibaraki, an incumbent JCP candidate secured the party's only seat in the assembly.

In the Chatan Town Assembly election in Okinawa, incumbent Miyazato Ayumi secured her seat and newcomer Shingaki Chiaki successfully took over her predecessor's seat.

The Liberal Democratic Party-affiliated local party, with the gubernatorial election slated for late September in mind, fielded seven candidates, an increase of three. A total of 22 candidates contested for 19 seats in the Chatan Town Assembly.

During the election campaign, the JCP candidates appealed to voters that they will follow the late Governor Onaga's wishes and will oppose the Henoko base construction in order to create a peaceful and prosperous Okinawa without military bases. All 14 anti-base candidates won in the election while three pro-base LDP candidates failed to win, giving great impetus to a victory of the late Onaga's successor Tamaki Denny in the September 30 governor race.

Nakamura Shigekazu, the JCP member of the Chatan Town Assembly who passed the baton to Shingaki, said, "After a close battle with an LDP-backed candidate, Shingaki won the invaluable seat, giving a positive impact on and a boost to the coming gubernatorial election."