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▼ Masuzoe Submits Resignation
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The Yomiuri Shimbun
Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe submitted his resignation to the president of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Wednesday morning, amid mounting criticism over his misuse of political funds.
Masuzoe’s resignation will likely be effective as of June 21, after the naming of the next vice governor. One or more of the current vice governors is scheduled to be replaced.
Though Masuzoe, 67, had expressed his intention to remain in his post, all the political groups in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, including members of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, which are the ruling forces in the assembly, submitted a no-confidence motion against him.
The joint action by all the groups forced Masuzoe to voluntarily resign.
Political parties in both the ruling and opposition camps have begun looking for candidates to succeed Masuzoe.
At about 10 a.m. Wednesday, Masuzoe submitted his resignation to the president of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly via a metropolitan government official. The president will notify the Tokyo metropolitan election administration commission of Masuzoe’s resignation within five days from the day after receiving the resignation.
Within 50 days after the day following the notification, a Tokyo gubernatorial election will be held.
Voting is likely to be held July 31 — in this case, the election will be announced on July 14 — or Aug. 7 — in this case, the announcement will be made on July 21.
The next Tokyo governor will attend the closing ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games and receive the flags of the Games. The Olympic closing ceremony will be held Aug. 21, and that of the Paralympic Games on Sept. 18.
Masuzoe’s extremely high expenditures for business trips overseas since around March this year, his use of an official car to visit his private villa almost every weekend, the spending of money from his political fund for family trips, and his purchases of a large number of art objects were seen as problematic.
End turmoil swiftly
By Tsukasa Kinoshita / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe has finally decided to voluntarily resign from his post, despite his earlier stubborn insistence that he would stay in the role and hinting at dissolving the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly as a bargaining chip.
All the groups in the assembly were determined to take concerted action to submit a no-confidence motion against him, so Masuzoe lost his reason to dissolve the assembly and had no choice but to resign.
Tokyo residents and other members of the public reacted coolly to Masuzoe, who asked the assembly to continue his term of office until the end of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. It cannot be denied that his decision was too late.
The problems involving his political funds may not be illegal. However, his way of paying for accommodations for family trips and purchasing artwork is far from the public’s idea of common sense.
The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, which supported Masuzoe in the gubernatorial election, were initially reluctant to force him to resign. But public pressure for the metropolitan assembly to exercise its checking function made it impossible for the ruling parties to continue to defend Masuzoe.
If the no-confidence motion was passed, it would have been the first time in the history of the metropolitan assembly. The worst-case scenario was avoided. It is highly likely that the next gubernatorial election will be held just before or after the opening of the Rio Games.
The next Tokyo governor will play a significant role in receiving the Olympic and Paralympic flags as the representative of the host city of the 2020 Tokyo Games.
It is necessary to quickly end the political turmoil in the metropolitan assembly, and make preparations for the Rio Games as the first step.
Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe submitted his resignation to the president of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Wednesday morning, amid mounting criticism over his misuse of political funds.
Masuzoe’s resignation will likely be effective as of June 21, after the naming of the next vice governor. One or more of the current vice governors is scheduled to be replaced.
Though Masuzoe, 67, had expressed his intention to remain in his post, all the political groups in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, including members of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, which are the ruling forces in the assembly, submitted a no-confidence motion against him.
The joint action by all the groups forced Masuzoe to voluntarily resign.
Political parties in both the ruling and opposition camps have begun looking for candidates to succeed Masuzoe.
At about 10 a.m. Wednesday, Masuzoe submitted his resignation to the president of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly via a metropolitan government official. The president will notify the Tokyo metropolitan election administration commission of Masuzoe’s resignation within five days from the day after receiving the resignation.
Within 50 days after the day following the notification, a Tokyo gubernatorial election will be held.
Voting is likely to be held July 31 — in this case, the election will be announced on July 14 — or Aug. 7 — in this case, the announcement will be made on July 21.
The next Tokyo governor will attend the closing ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games and receive the flags of the Games. The Olympic closing ceremony will be held Aug. 21, and that of the Paralympic Games on Sept. 18.
Masuzoe’s extremely high expenditures for business trips overseas since around March this year, his use of an official car to visit his private villa almost every weekend, the spending of money from his political fund for family trips, and his purchases of a large number of art objects were seen as problematic.
End turmoil swiftly
By Tsukasa Kinoshita / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe has finally decided to voluntarily resign from his post, despite his earlier stubborn insistence that he would stay in the role and hinting at dissolving the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly as a bargaining chip.
All the groups in the assembly were determined to take concerted action to submit a no-confidence motion against him, so Masuzoe lost his reason to dissolve the assembly and had no choice but to resign.
Tokyo residents and other members of the public reacted coolly to Masuzoe, who asked the assembly to continue his term of office until the end of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. It cannot be denied that his decision was too late.
The problems involving his political funds may not be illegal. However, his way of paying for accommodations for family trips and purchasing artwork is far from the public’s idea of common sense.
The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, which supported Masuzoe in the gubernatorial election, were initially reluctant to force him to resign. But public pressure for the metropolitan assembly to exercise its checking function made it impossible for the ruling parties to continue to defend Masuzoe.
If the no-confidence motion was passed, it would have been the first time in the history of the metropolitan assembly. The worst-case scenario was avoided. It is highly likely that the next gubernatorial election will be held just before or after the opening of the Rio Games.
The next Tokyo governor will play a significant role in receiving the Olympic and Paralympic flags as the representative of the host city of the 2020 Tokyo Games.
It is necessary to quickly end the political turmoil in the metropolitan assembly, and make preparations for the Rio Games as the first step.
- June 16, 2016
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