Japan Press Weekly

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2017 March 22 - 28 [JCP]

29 of 33 JCP candidates win in Sunday’s local elections

In local elections which took place on March 26, the Japanese Communist Party put up 33 candidates and secured 29 seats in the assemblies of five towns and ten cities. The JCP results in major races are as follows:

In Tokyo’s Koganei City, all four JCP candidates, three incumbents and one newcomer, won. During the election campaign, they criticized the local LDP-Komei coalition for having forced through an increase in the national healthcare insurance tax, sewage rates, and childcare fees. They also accused the city government of wasteful use of tax money amounting to one billion yen annually. The JCP assembly members after the election expressed their determination to work to realize their campaign promises for the city’s welfare programs and for the betterment of residents’ living conditions. They said, “During the campaign, voters favorably responded to what we were calling for such as a review of the city’s finance and cuts in the insurance tax.” The LDP lost one seat in the election and the Komei Party managed to maintain its assembly strength but saw a decrease in the number of votes it received from the previous election.

In the Fujimi City Assembly election in Saitama Prefecture, four JCP candidates pledged to provide free medical services for children up to 18 years old and to cancel the planned increase in fees for the city’s sports facilities. The party secured three seats but fell short of bringing about a victory to one candidate.

In the Togane City Assembly election in Chiba Prefecture, the party maintained its two seats. Amid a dramatic decrease in voter turnout compared with that in the previous election, the JCP expanded both the number and share of the votes its candidates received. The JCP candidates during the race argued for the need to lower the city’s water rate which is higher than the prefecture’s water rate. They also said they will commit themselves to work to help restore the city’s debt-ridden medical center in order to protect community health.

In a race for the Kitaibaraki City Assembly seats in Ibaraki Prefecture, the party fielded one candidate and she won by promising to work to implement a free school lunch program and reduce nursing-care service premiums.

In the town assembly election of Shinanomachi in Nagano Prefecture, in the face of the reduced number of assembly seats, the JCP succeeded in achieving the victory of one incumbent and two first-time candidates, up one seat for the first time in 40 years. With this victory, JCP members will account for 25% of the Shinanomachi Town Assembly.

All five JCP candidates won in a hotly contested race for seats in the Shizuoka City Assembly. During the election campaign, they appealed to voters, saying, “Give a verdict of ‘No!’ to Abe politics.” By saying to potential voters, “The existence of the JCP in the assembly is essential in defending citizens’ livelihoods,” the JCP candidates increased the number of votes received compared to the previous election. On the other hand, the LDP decreased its strength by two seats to 16 seats as it had no specific policy to attract voters during the election campaign.