Suspicion of cash distribution in online advertisements…Koto Ward mayoral election announced on December 3rd: “Clean” emphasized, “That’s normal”: Tokyo Shimbun TOKYO Web

The former mayor of Koto Ward, Tokyo, who was first elected in April, resigned after just six months over a violation of the Public Offices Election Act. The ward mayor’s election to decide the new top official will be announced on December 3rd. Amidst confusion as the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s special investigation department raided the affiliates of the locally elected Liberal Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives and multiple ward assembly members, the short-term decisive battle in December was held ahead of the vote counting on the 10th. Although those who have announced their candidacy emphasize their cleanliness and lack of party affiliation, voters are looking at them harshly. (Koto Ward Mayor Selection Interview Team)

◆“You can’t win even if you support the LDP”

“Being unfettered is a strength.” On the 21st of this month, former department head Tomoka Okubo (52), who had just retired from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, announced her intention to run as an independent candidate. At the press conference, she explained that the white jacket she was wearing was “borrowed from Governor Yuriko Koike as a competition uniform.” Although she does not name any political party and claims to be non-partisan, she is recommended by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, the People’s Democratic Party, and the Citizens First Association, of which Governor Koike serves as a special advisor.

After former ward mayor Yayoi Kimura announced her resignation at the end of October, all eyes were on Kazuki Yamazaki (50), a former Liberal Democratic Party member of the Tokyo metropolitan assembly who lost the previous election due to conservative divisions. However, due to the Kishida administration’s inconsistency and the headwinds surrounding the incident, there were deep-rooted concerns that “we won’t win even if we support the LDP” (according to a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly official), and Yamazaki announced that he would not run.

According to multiple sources, the names of former metropolitan assembly members and former metropolitan executives were mentioned among the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, and Tominfa, but they were not endorsed. On the other hand, Okubo’s name is said to have been floated separately within the Liberal Democratic Party for some time, as he was said to be “interested in politics” (according to a Tokyo metropolitan executive). Meanwhile, Okubo decided to run with the governor’s backing, and each party decided to endorse him. One source points out, “This is the governor’s decision.”

◆”Break away from old politics” and “become a ward administration that is honest to the residents”

Natsumi Sakai (37), who is in her second term as a ward councilor, announced on the 16th that she will leave the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and run as an independent. At the press conference, he emphasized, “There has been a series of shocking scandals, and distrust in politics is growing.We need an honest and fair mayor.”

In Koto Ward, incidents involving Liberal Democratic Party members continue. Tsukasa Akimoto, a former Liberal Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives who was elected locally, was sentenced to prison in 2021 in a corruption case involving an integrated resort facility (IR) project including a casino. In September of this year, the former ward chairman, a prominent member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was found guilty in a corruption case related to cleaning management work ordered by the ward.

Sakai, who is supported not only by Ritsumeikan but also by the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Tokyo Consumers’ Network, calls for a break from the “old politics of the Liberal Democratic Party.”

In the incident surrounding the April mayoral election, several ward councilors were offered cash by Mr. Kakizawa’s side, but Mr. Sakai said at a press conference, “We have not received any.”

Takashi Ino (58), a former National Tax Agency employee, will run as an independent candidate. In April’s ward mayoral election, he received about 34,000 votes without any party support. He says, “The ward administration must be honest with the residents.”

The Japan Restoration Association also plans to field a candidate, and there are other candidates as well.

◆“What can we trust?” residents are worried

What do residents think about holding elections for mayor twice in one year? A 75-year-old woman on her way home from shopping said of the candidate who calls for clean politics, “Speaking of such obvious things.Trust is built up on a daily basis.Even if someone asks you to please take care of them through the microphone, isn’t that the only time? ” he exclaimed in amazement.

A 48-year-old IT consultant said, “The former mayor of the ward, who advocated clean politics, has become like this, so what can we trust?Even though the candidate is an independent, there is a political party behind him, and he has become a national political issue.” “I want the residents and the ward administration to take a closer look.”