All camps are anxious about the outcome of the Koto Ward mayoral election, which was counted on the 10th. “If the turnout is low, the organization cannot win”: Tokyo Shimbun TOKYO Web

Votes will be counted on the 10th in the election for mayor of Tokyo’s Koto ward, which follows the resignation of the former ward mayor who was investigated for running illegal online advertisements during the election. Five independent newcomers engaged in a war of words with major political parties mixed in, with the biggest theme being reform of the ward administration. Voter turnout in April’s unified local elections for ward mayors was 48.86%, higher than the previous election, but turnout in individual mayoral elections is often sluggish, and each camp is doing its best to solicit votes. (Kana Ogata, Masanori Inoue)

The election campaign is between the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, the People’s Democratic Party, and a former metropolitan mayor recommended by the Tokyo Citizens First Association, of which Governor Yuriko Koike is a special advisor, a former ward councilor who was the top candidate in this spring’s Koto Ward assembly election, and a former ward councilor who won the top spot in the previous April mayoral election. The candidates competing include a former National Tax Agency employee who came in third place in the vote, a pediatrician recommended by the Japan Restoration Association, and a former Ritsumeikan ward councilor supported by the Constitutional Democratic Party and Communist Party, the Reiwa Shinsengumi, the Social Democratic Party, and the Tokyo Consumers’ Network.

▽Tomoka Okubo (52) Former Tokyo Metropolitan Manager Recommended by Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, People’s Democratic Party, and Tokyo Citizens First Association
▽Aya Sannohe (34) Former ward councilor
▽Takashi Ino (58) Former National Tax Agency employee
▽Hiroyuki Kogure (44) Pediatrician Recommended by Japan Restoration Society
▽ Natsumi Sakai (37) Former ward councilor Supports the Constitutional Democratic Party, Communist Party, Reiwa Shinsengumi, Social Democratic Party, and Tokyo Consumers Network

◆Famous benshi arrive one after another

Support for each candidate included former metropolitan mayor, Governor Koike, Diet members from the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, former Ritsumeikan ward members, Diet members from Ritmin, Communist Party, and Reiwa, Setagaya Ward Mayor Nobuto Hosaka, and Suginami Ward Kishimoto. Ward Mayor Satoko and other members of the Meiji Restoration Diet and other Tokyo metropolitan and ward assembly members rushed to see the pediatrician. Even candidates without support from major political parties are promoting their policies through local connections.

Several camps say that the response to the campaign is “received fairly well by leaflets,” while others believe that “the campaign still has a long way to go to reach people who cannot be reached by street activities.”

◆Some say it will be 10 points lower than in spring.

Looking at past presidential elections, voter turnout has been high in unified elections due to the heightened election mood nationwide. Voter turnout is generally low when the incumbent resigns or dies during the term and is removed from the unified local elections. The average turnout for the 18 mayoral elections in Tokyo held in April this year was 46.11%. There is no example of a more recent election for ward 11 mayor other than a unified election. In the first election last December, no one received the legal number of votes (more than a quarter of the valid votes), and in the Shinagawa ward mayor’s election, which was the first re-election for a mayor in Tokyo, the vote was 32.44%.

One campaign official pointed out, “It’s 10 points lower than in the spring.” Many camps are taking to the streets to encourage early voting, saying, “If the turnout is low, the organization will not be able to win.”

A 74-year-old woman who is undecided about whether to vote says, “I thought the former ward mayor was a good person, but I was shocked when he resigned.The candidates this time are not impressive.” A 23-year-old civil servant who is undecided about which candidate to vote for said, “I’ve never had any interest in elections, but this time I want to do some research and entrust the vote to someone who has the drive and humanity to do the job.”