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2023 October 18 - 24 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Opposition/citizens-backed candidate wins in Upper House by-election

In the House of Councilors by-election in the Tokushima-Kochi district on October 22, a united candidate backed by civil groups and opposition parties defeated a Liberal Democratic Party candidate by a large margin.

The united opposition candidate, Hirota Hajime, concluded with the civil groups in two prefectures and opposition parties (the Japanese Communist Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party, and the New Socialist Party) an agreement on seven items including protecting people’s livelihoods from the cost-of-living crisis and opposing the Kishida government’s huge military buildup policy.

In the election, with support from concerned citizens and opposition parties, Hirota obtained 233,250 votes while his rival, Nishiuchi Ken, received 142,036 votes. The voter turnout rate hit a record low of 32.16%.

Following Hirota’s election, JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira at a press conference in the JCP head office said, “Voters passed a severe verdict on the Kishida government which has no measures to tackle the rising cost of living. The election results clearly proved that a unified struggle of opposition parties and concerned citizens is effective. Hirota’s victory will deliver positive impacts on future joint struggles between opposition parties and concerned citizens.”

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In the mayoral election held on October 22 in Saitama’s Tokorozawa City, former House of Representatives member Onozuka Katsutoshi, who received voluntary support from the JCP, was elected by beating the incumbent backed by the LDP.

In the election, Onozuka explained his basic stance to comply with the Constitution, conduct the city administration reflecting the constitutional spirit, and operate the city government together with input from citizens. He also promised to introduce a free school lunch program, provide free healthcare services to children under 18 years of age, and implement other people-oriented policies.

Onozuka obtained 57,272 votes and the LDP-backed incumbent, Fujimoto Masato, received 41,477 votes. The voter turnout rate stood at 38.80%.