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Sanseito wins 1st Tokyo assembly seats; Ishimaru's party shut out
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya speaks at the party's headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward on June 22. (Akari Sugiyama)
Rising party Sanseito secured its first seats in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly on June 22 while newcomer Saisei no Michi (The Path to Rebirth) failed miserably after much fanfare.
Sanseito candidate Masanori Mochizuki, 35, won an assembly seat in Setagaya Ward, while party colleague Sanae Ezaki, 39, was successful in Nerima Ward.
The conservative party promotes 'Japanese First' policies that have been compared with the 'America First' thinking of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The party fielded four candidates in the Tokyo assembly election, including Mochizuki.
'Thanks to the efforts of our candidates, the party's leadership election, the release of our draft constitution, and other ongoing activities, we've been able to increase people's awareness of our party online,' Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya said on the evening of June 22.
When he was projected to win a seat, Mochizuki said: 'This is the result of the party's steady efforts. But it's just a milestone. Our party members will unite to work harder for the Upper House election next month.'
In the assembly election campaign, Sanseito advocated a 50-percent reduction in the metropolitan government's residential tax, public ownership of essential infrastructure, such as crematoriums and subways, and the distribution of 'rice coupons' to households with children and those facing financial hardship.
Sanseito has been gaining support across the country largely through YouTube videos and social media.
It also built on the momentum it gained from recent city assembly elections on June 15. First-time candidates from Sanseito won the most votes in the elections in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, Nishio, Aichi Prefecture, and Awara, Fukui Prefecture.
ZERO FOR 42
For the Path to Rebirth, the outcome of the election could not have been worse.
The party fielded 42 candidates across 35 electoral districts, but none of them gained a seat.
The regional political party was established in January by Shinji Ishimaru, who attracted national attention by placing second in the Tokyo gubernatorial election last year with around 1.66 million votes.
But the new party had a relatively short preparation period to decide on candidates and devise strategy for the assembly election.
Despite the shutout of his party, Ishimaru said it has accomplished one of its missions.
'As the party leader, I don't cling to results like that,' he said at a news conference on the night of June 22. 'Our goal was to field candidates in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, which we have already achieved.'
He had called for broad public participation in politics, and his candidate recruitment effort attracted 1,128 applicants. The chosen candidates included employees from major companies and some executives.
The Path to Rebirth matched the Liberal Democratic Party for the most candidates fielded in the election.
Ishimaru's party presented no concrete policy platform, except for limiting its successful candidates' time in the assembly to 'two terms or eight years.'
The party's candidates were allowed to shape their own campaign messages.
Ishimaru joined the candidates on the streets, appealing to voters by saying: 'The current Tokyo government lacks a functioning dual-representation system. The Path to Rebirth offers a better alternative for the assembly.'
However, Ishimaru himself did not run in the election.
Official endorsements for the party's candidates were only finalized about two months before the election campaign started, giving them limited time to build name recognition in their districts.
One party candidate said, 'People generally know who Ishimaru is, but voters asked me, 'What is the Path to Rebirth?'
