Ex-Olympic champ Daichi Suzuki set to win Japan upper house seat for 1st time
Suzuki leveraged his high profile as a gold medalist in the men's 100-meter backstroke at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and as the inaugural chief of the Japan Sports Agency to achieve a strong standing in the election. The 58-year-old campaigned on the vision of creating a society where people can live a healthy life through sports. During stump speeches, he stated, "Sports changed my life. Now I want to change society through politics." He also pledged to focus on initiatives such as increasing wages to combat rising prices and enhancing economic support for families with children.
Amid predictions of a tough battle for the LDP overall, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who worked together with Suzuki during preparations for the Tokyo Olympics while he was sports agency chief, lent Suzuki her support, emphasizing that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government would cooperate with him.
One of the LDP's two seats in the Tokyo electoral district contested this time became vacant last year, due to a member switching to run in the House of Representatives election. The party's Tokyo chapter sought a candidate who would not conflict with incumbent Keizo Takemi, 73, who was running an organized campaign. While other people were considered, Suzuki, expected to attract swing voters, was nominated in late May.
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