January 14, 2024

2024-01-14 21:00:00

The Hachioji mayoral election in Tokyo was announced on the 14th, with the Liberal Democratic Party in turmoil over a slush fund scandal involving a faction’s political funding party. The incident is also having a major impact on each campaign’s election strategy.

◆At the beginning, when I apologized, some people in the audience

On the followingnoon of the 14th, Koichi Hagiuda (60), a locally elected member of the House of Representatives, appeared at the launch ceremony for Kazuo Hatsuzuku (59), a candidate recommended by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, and former director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau, held at a shopping district near JR Hachioji Station on the followingnoon of the 14th. was there. Prior to the opening ceremony, Mr. Hagiuda took to the microphone without going up to the street car and said, “I would like to once once more apologize for causing you great concern regarding the accounting treatment of political funding parties since the end of last year.” said. After finishing his greetings in just three minutes, he watched what happened next from among the audience.

Mr. Hagiuda giving a greeting

Mr. Hagiuda is a prominent figure in the city, having served on the Hachioji City Council, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, and been elected to the House of Representatives six times. Normally, it would have been natural for him to stand up front with the candidates, but in the wake of the slush money scandal, his appearance was limited to a short period of time.

Hagiuda, who is also one of the “Gang of Five,” influential members of the Abe faction, resigned as chairman of the Policy Research Council in December last year due to the faction’s slush fund scandal. He was voluntarily questioned by the Special Investigation Department of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, as he was said to have received money back from party ticket sales that exceeded his sales quota, but did not record it in the income and expenditure reports of affiliated political organizations.

According to campaign sources, the plan had not been decided even as early as the evening before, as to whether Mr. Hagiuda would attend the marching ceremony or what kind of speech he would give. One of the people involved said, “Opinions were divided because of the image.”

After the deployment ceremony, Mr. Hagiuda answered questions from the press. He said, “If I stand in the front, it will cause trouble.”

◆“Unforgivable” and “pathetic” voices from other camps

Meanwhile, other camps are desperately trying to turn the headwinds once morest the Liberal Democratic Party into votes.

Former Tokyo Metropolitan Assemblyman Yasuhiko Takita (41), who is supported by the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Hachioji Consumers’ Network, took a microphone at the north exit of JR Hachioji Station on the morning of the same day and declared that he would “change Hachioji’s old political system.” He also touched on the issue of slush funds, emphatically saying, “This is not for the benefit of the citizens or the region, but for the politicians themselves. I cannot tolerate this.”

Furthermore, he asked former members of the House of Representatives from the Liberal Democratic Party, who were once at odds with the city’s current Liberal Democratic Party faction, and a former city chairman who belonged to the Liberal Democratic Party faction, to act as cheering speakers for the launch ceremony. A senior campaign official said, “This lineup is meant to show that even within the Liberal Democratic Party, there are people who believe that change is necessary.”

Voters listen to street speeches by candidates in the Hachioji mayoral election

Kimi Watanabe (71), a former representative of the Minna no Toi party to which she once belonged, came to support Jo Ryozumi (61), a former member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, and dismissed the issue of slush funds from the Liberal Democratic Party faction as “pathetic.” He made the comparison by saying, “Because Mr. Ryozumi does not receive support from political parties or specific groups, he is able to make decisions without any constraints.”

Mr. Ryogaku introduced that the only note he received at his campaign office was a note that said “We are sure to win,” which was received from his support group. He emphasized the difference, saying, “A single letter is more important than 300 letters from various organizations in the LDP-endorsed candidate’s office.”

Takayuki Hattori (40), a company employee, never mentioned the slush money issue. He and his wife took to the streets to advocate for the policy.

◆The impact on the election is “honestly difficult to comprehend”

However, amidst all this, some say, “To be honest, I have no idea how far the slush funds issue will affect the election results.” Some members of the Liberal Democratic Party’s metropolitan assembly are wary, saying, “If there is any movement in the incident during the election period, the situation will become even more chaotic.” On the other hand, a source from another camp said, “National politics and local autonomy are faced with different issues, policies, and political backgrounds.” “That’s not true. If we focus too much on that, we might be held back,” he says, maintaining a cautious view.

In the Musashino mayoral election held in December last year, amidst the controversy surrounding the issue of slush funds, a new candidate recommended by the LDP became a new candidate supported by the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Japanese Communist Party, the Reiwa Shinsengumi, the Social Democratic Party, and the Musashino Consumers’ Network. victory. He overcame the headwinds and won his first election.

While the intentions of each camp are fiercely clashing, the regional political party Tomin First, to which Takita and Ryōzumi once belonged, is taking a wait-and-see attitude for now. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who serves as a special advisor to Tominfa, said at a regular press conference regarding the mayoral election, “Citizens will be the ones to judge what kind of city development (each candidate) will do.” At the marching ceremonies for each camp on the day of the announcement, no members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Council were publicly seen.


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