Japan Press Weekly

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2017 June 14 - 20 [POLITICS]

Tokyo governor’s local party stays silence about ‘Kake Gakuen’ scandal

On June 18, the day when the ordinary session of the Diet ended, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko who heads the local political party “Tomin First no Kai” delivered street speeches at various locations in Tokyo. She, however, said nothing about key issues in national politics, such as the “Kake Gakuen” scandal.

Koike’s one-day tour of giving speeches was to support her party’s candidates for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, with the election campaign scheduled to officially start on June 23. The result of the election will not only determine each party’s strength in the assembly for the next four years but also influence the course of national politics. Voters were interested in what position Koike’s party would take towards the Abe government which ignores public demand for thorough investigations into the scandals associated with “Kake Gakuen” and “Moritomo Gakuen”.

Tokyoites expected to hear what Koike would say in regard to the forcible enactment of the “anti-conspiracy” law and Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s remark that he will seek to revise Article 9 of the Constitution.

In the day’s speeches, however, Koike did not mention the Abe government and the ruling coalition of Liberal Democratic and Komei parties. At a street speech in Shinjuku, for example, the Tokyo governor explained her plans to implement some barrier-free improvements in streets, narrow the opportunity gaps in education, and remove utility poles across Tokyo. She omitted talking about national politics.

The major local daily Tokyo Shimbun on June 19 reported on Koike’s speeches, pointing out that Koike, who was an LDP lawmaker, has avoided criticizing the LDP.

The Tomin First no Kai has agreed with the Komei Party, one of the ruling parties, to cooperate in the upcoming Metropolitan Assembly election. Public anger is mounting against the Abe government’s tactic of steamrollering through the anti-conspiracy bill and sidestepping the “Kake Gakuen” scandal, but the Koike party is incapable of responding to Tokyoites’ call for a guilty verdict on the current administration.