Tuesday marked one year until the expiration of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's term of office. A tug of war between the ruling and opposition parties over the capital's next gubernatorial election is becoming intense.
Various parties believe Koike aims to run for reelection, so the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Tokyo chapter is preparing to field its own candidate to rival Koike, as are some opposition parties.
The key to determining the LDP's handling of the election is the party's Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai, who has taken the position of supporting Koike's reelection. He rates her highly, saying to reporters Tuesday, "Koike is successful as the governor of the capital city."
On the other hand, concerning how to handle the next gubernatorial election, Nikai showed consideration for the Tokyo chapter, which is dissatisfied with Koike. Choosing his words with care, he said, "I would like to carefully look at the extent to which Tokyo residents will support her and make a decision as a party. Primarily, I would like to listen to the opinions of the Tokyo chapter."
The next Tokyo gubernatorial election is highly likely to be held just before the opening of the Olympics on July 24, 2020. Some Diet members belonging to the LDP have expressed their support for Koike, with an experienced lawmaker saying, "I wonder if there is a reason for having Koike resign from her position, which would mean changing the representative of the Olympic host city just before the Games."
In the 2016 Tokyo gubernatorial election, Koike defeated by a large margin an independent candidate backed by the LDP, coalition partner Komeito and some opposition parties.
The LDP Tokyo chapter is challenging Koike over the management of the metropolitan government. In order to prevent her from being reelected, they "will not exclude the option of fielding our own candidate," Naoki Takashima, the secretary general of the chapter, said.
On the premise of preventing Koike's reelection, the chapter established a committee to select a candidate in June and it will hold another meeting in early August to narrow down the candidates. Recommended candidates include Tamayo Marukawa, who won in the latest House of Councillors election with the largest number of votes in the Tokyo constituency; Daichi Suzuki, the Japan Sports Agency commissioner; and former Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto.
If Nikai, who supports Koike, remains in the same position in an LDP personnel reshuffle scheduled for early September, there could be a lingering cause of conflict between LDP headquarters and the Tokyo chapter.
Komeito, which cooperated with the LDP in the previous Tokyo gubernatorial election, has a fair and unbiased position in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly under Koike's administration. She incorporates the party's opinions into the management of the government to foster a close relationship with the party. A senior Komeito member said, "It will be difficult for us to support an LDP candidate in the next election." If the LDP pushes ahead with fielding a candidate under the initiative of the Tokyo chapter, it could affect the relationship with Komeito.
Some opposition parties are also moving toward fielding rival candidates to take on Koike. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has begun selecting a candidate using conditions such as political beliefs and name recognition.
Some members of the ruling and opposition parties say that they could support the same candidate as each other in the next election. However, since Koike boasts outstanding name recognition, a source close to the LDP Tokyo chapter said, "We have failed to find a candidate who is both certain to win and willing to run for the election." As the situation continues, the various parties are likely to have difficulty selecting their candidates for the race.
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