Japan Press Weekly

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2014 March 19 - 25 [POLITICS]

Hashimoto reelected with opposition parties boycotting

In the March 23 Osaka city mayoral election, former mayor Hashimoto Toru was reelected, but the number of votes for him was about half that of the 750,000 votes he received in the previous election three years ago. The final voter turnout fell to a record-low 23.59%.

Counting votes cast, 67,506 ballots turned out to be invalid, accounting for 13.53% of votes cast. Of them, 45,098 (9.04%) were blank votes. Both figures hit a record high and their number was more than that received by the runner-up in the election.

Following the election results, Japanese Communist Party Osaka Prefectural Committee head Yamaguchi Katsutoshi commented, “Osaka citizens determined that Hashimoto should give up his plan to create a ‘metropolitan Osaka’ administration.”

The election took place due to Hashimoto’s resignation from his position as Osaka City mayor. Hashimoto, who also co-heads the Japan Restoration Party, in January suddenly announced his resignation because his “metropolitan Osaka” scheme received fierce opposition from major political parties in the city assembly and reached an impasse. The city had to spend about 600 million yen in taxpayer money for the election.

In the election, none of the Liberal Democratic, Komei, and the Democratic parties in the assembly fielded a candidate. The majority of citizens criticized the election as a wasteful use of tax money.

The JCP also decided not to put up its candidate for the election in accordance with its position of placing importance on joint efforts to oppose the “metropolitan Osaka” scheme and curb the harsh policies promoted by Hashimoto and his party.

During the election campaign, the JCP jointly worked with a citizens’ organization to increase citizens’ awareness of the harmful impact a “metropolitan Osaka” administration and Hashimoto’s anti-people policies would have.

The Osaka JCP head in his comment said that as Osaka citizens turned their back on the “metropolitan Osaka” vision, Hashimoto should abandon this scheme.

* * *

On the night of the Osaka City mayoral election in which former mayor Hashimoto was reelected, spokespersons of four major political parties in the city assembly - the JCP, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Komei Party, and the pro-Democratic political group - held a joint press conference.

Regarding the election results, JCP assembly members’ group secretary general Yamanaka Tomoko said, “Osaka citizens rejected Hashimoto’s claim that with an electoral victory, he will be allowed to have a free hand to move ahead with his policies.”

Asked by reporters about the next mayoral election, Yamanaka said that in order to win the election, it is necessary to promote cross-party collaboration like the latest Sakai City mayoral election in which the JCP decided to not put up a candidate and worked for the victory of the LDP- and DPJ-backed incumbent candidate under a slogan of opposing Hashimoto’s vision for a “metropolitan Osaka”.

Past related articles:
> JCP Osaka seeks to build civil cooperation to break through Hashimoto’s policies [February 15, 2014]
> Japan Restoration Party candidate defeated in Sakai mayoral election [September 30 & October 1, 2013]