Japan Press Weekly

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2019 August 21 - 27 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Joint opposition candidate wins in Saitama gubernatorial election

Joint opposition candidate, Ono Motohiro, supported by a wide range of citizens and several opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, won in the Saitama prefectural gubernatorial election on August 25, beating his rival backed by the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties.

Asked by reporters for comments, JCP Chair Shii Kazuo on the following day said, "Joint struggles of concerned citizens and opposition parties brought about this victory. This has given further momentum to the citizens-opposition parties coalition while giving the LDP-Komei government a significant blow."

Ogiwara Hatsuo, chair of the JCP Saitama Prefectural Committee, in his statement said that during the election campaign, citizens and opposition parties made concerted efforts to fight against PM Abe's LDP-Komei forces.

The statement explains that the JCP and a civil group for a democratic Saitama government worked hard together with other opposition parties in order to not hand over Saitama to the pro-revisionist forces of the LDP and Komei and instead to realize a Saitama headed by a governor who respects and defends the Constitution.

According to the statement, the LDP sent many of its heavyweights including Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga to Saitama to deliver speeches in support of the ruling parties-backed candidate and even mobilized the governors of neighboring prefectures to support the election campaign. The statement points out that their candidate, however, was defeated by the efforts jointly made by concerned citizens and united opposition parties.

In the statement, Ogiwara expressed his determination to work to further develop joint efforts in preparation for a general election with an eye toward creating a coalition government consisting of the present opposition parties.

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In the assembly elections of six cities and seven towns on August 25, 24 out of 28 JCP candidates were elected to the local assemblies.

In the Sendai City Assembly election in Miyagi Prefecture, the JCP fielded eight candidates and won six seats in the 55-member assembly. Whether to advance the present city government led by Kori Kazuko who became mayor two years ago as a result of the joint struggles of the citizen-opposition parties coalition was a major issue in the election campaign. A Dietmember who won a Diet seat as a joint opposition candidate made speeches supporting candidates, including JCP candidates, who would be of help to Mayor Kori. All candidates of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan won in the city assembly election, contributing to an increase in the number of assembly members supportive of the sitting mayor by four to 22 in the 55-member assembly.

In the Morioka City Assembly election held on the same day in Iwate Prefecture, the JCP maintained five seats in the 38-member assembly. During the election campaign, the five candidates promised fair national healthcare insurance taxation, a review of the project that does not have residents' consent regarding a garbage processing facility, and free medical care for children up to 15 years old.