Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2013 September 25 - October 1 TOP3 [ELECTION]

Japan Restoration Party candidate defeated in Sakai mayoral election

Voters of Sakai City chose in their September 29 mayoral election an incumbent, who challenged Japan Restoration Party (JRP)’s vision to split the second largest city in Osaka to become their mayor again, rebuffing the ambition of JRP-leading Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru.

In the campaign, the Japanese Communist Party, from its standpoint of opposing the JRP vision for a “metropolitan Osaka”, worked to help Takeyama Osami be reelected.

Cooperation increased beyond the boundaries of political parties, organizations, and individuals under the “Defend Sakai!” slogan and this resulted in the defeat of the JRP candidate.

The metropolitan Osaka vision is to divide Osaka’s largest and second largest cities of Osaka and Sakai into several special zones and will steer their authorities and funds into metropolitan Osaka.

Takeyama in the campaign criticized this vision as destructive as already proved in Osaka City controlled by its mayor Hashimoto. The city government, since Hashimoto took office, has implemented anti-people measures one after another such as raising national healthcare insurance premiums, abolishing the community bus service, and closing down a municipal hospital all in preparation for the creation of a metropolitan Osaka.

During the early stage of the campaign, Hashimoto was repeatedly making anti-communist remarks regarding his party’s rival Takeyama, saying that the JCP is behind the incumbent.

However, as the campaign progressed, Hashimoto’s way to attack his opponent became no longer effective. The voters wanted to defend their city as a matter of course with all the strength, irrespective of their political affiliation.

In the sense of moving politics based on a common task in response to public demand, the victory this time opened up a new horizon, Akahata reported.

On the evening of the same day, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi held a press conference at the JCP head office and pointed out that the Sakai election outcome has great significance following the setbacks of the JRP, which took an even more conservative position than the Liberal Democratic Party on many issues including constitutional revision in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in June and the House of Councilors election in July.

The number of votes Takeyama Osami, running as an independent, received totaled 198,431 while 140,569 votes were cast for Nishimura Katsutoshi, the JRP candidate.