Parties See Tokyo Election as Bellwether for Upper House Election; Results Expected to Impact Ishiba's Administration
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday.
The outcome of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, for which campaigning kicked off Friday, is expected to impact Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration. Parties are focusing on increasing their support for their candidates running in the Tokyo election while having their sights set on the House of Councillors election this summer.
'We are fully committed to making sure all [Liberal Democratic Party] candidates are elected,' said Ishiba, who is also the president of the LDP, at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday morning.
The LDP is likely to face headwinds over such issues as party members not reporting their incomes from political fundraising parties. The LDP did not plan to have Ishiba make a speech to the public on the first day of campaigning.
Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner, is appealing to voters by highlighting its ability to realize its policies while taking a tough stance on the LDP's issue of politics and money.
Opposition parties are putting as much effort into the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election as they would a national election.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda has made stump speeches even before campaigning officially began. Noda spoke to voters about measures to tackle soaring prices, such as cutting consumption tax on food – one of the party's pledges for the upper house election.
The Japanese Communist Party also views a consumption tax cut as a key issue for the Tokyo election, aiming to build momentum for the upper house election.
As the Japan Innovation Party, an Osaka-based party, hopes to increase its presence in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, JIP chief Hirofumi Yoshimura and coleader Seiji Maehara will split up to cover more ground while campaigning.
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