THE JAPAN NEWS

 

Official campaigning for two House of Representatives by-elections kicked off Tuesday, serving as a prelude to a crucial fight in the next lower house election.

The race in Tokyo Constituency No. 10 is being fought, in effect, between a Liberal Democratic Party candidate and a rookie backed by the leading opposition Democratic Party. Meanwhile, the Fukuoka Constituency No. 6 fight is being contested among two independents close to the LDP, a DP candidate and another.

The results of the by-elections will likely affect Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s strategy regarding a possible dissolution of the lower house for a general election, and also a united front likely to be formed among opposition parties in preparation for the next lower house race, according to observers.

The candidates for the Tokyo race are Yosuke Suzuki, 40, a former NHK reporter fielded by the DP; Masaru Wakasa, 59, a lawyer and former LDP lower house member elected under the proportional representation system; and Toshimitsu Yoshii, 34, a rookie and member of the Happiness Realization Party (HRP), a political organization.

Those vying in the Fukuoka by-election are Tadahiro Nishihara, 61, an HRP member; Fumiko Arai, 49, a senior official of the DP’s Fukuoka prefectural chapter and a former employee at the Japanese consulate general in Chennai, India; Jiro Hatoyama, 37, an independent and a former mayor of Okawa in the prefecture; and Ken Kurauchi, 35, an independent and secretary for a House of Councillors member.

Voting and ballot-counting will take place for both races on Oct. 23. The two electoral fights are the first national elections since July’s upper house election.

Points drawing attention in the ongoing campaigning include the pros and cons of continuing the prime minister’s Abenomics economic policy package and approving the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact. The government and the LDP-Komeito ruling coalition are seeking to secure TPP approval during the current Diet session.

On Tuesday morning, LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai gave a roadside speech in front of JR Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo. He called for voters’ support, saying: “The LDP and Komeito are acting as one in supporting the Abe administration. I want [the LDP candidate] to win an overwhelming victory with your support.”

In a campaign speech in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, DP Secretary General Yoshihiko Noda emphasized: “The scenario has proved to be wrong [for economic recovery] in which if large companies make profits, [the benefit of Abenomics] would also come down to regional areas, small and midsize businesses.”

For DP leader Renho, the two races are the first national elections she has faced since assuming the current position. The electoral results will likely affect her capacity to unite her party and gain public appeal.

Although three opposition parties — the Japanese Communist Party, the People’s Life Party and the Social Democratic Party — decided not to recommend the DP candidates in both races, they have formed a joint front to contest the by-elections, following their similar action taken in July’s upper house race.

The by-election in Tokyo’s No. 10 Constituency, which covers Toshima Ward and eastern Nerima Ward, is to fill the lower house seat vacated by Yuriko Koike, who had represented that constituency. Koike successfully ran in July’s Tokyo gubernatorial election.

Wakasa has entered the Tokyo by-election on an LDP ticket and with the recommendation of the party’s junior coalition partner, Komeito. In the ongoing race, Koike is standing behind Wakasa, who fully backed her bid to win the Tokyo gubernatorial race.

The by-election in Fukuoka Constituency No. 6 has been called due to the death of former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio Hatoyama. The constituency covers such areas as the cities of Kurume and Ogoori in the prefecture.

Although Hatoyama and Kurauchi had sought official endorsement from the LDP, the party decided not to put either on the ticket in that status. However, if either candidate wins the race, the LDP intends to grant him retroactive status as its official candidate.