Latest news with #TokyoElections
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Tokyo voters punish Japan ruling party ahead of national election
TOKYO: Voters in Tokyo knocked Japan's ruling party from its position as the largest group in the city assembly, results showed Monday, a warning sign for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's unpopular government before July elections. Japanese media said it was a record-low result in the key local ballot for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has led the country almost continuously since 1955. Public support for Ishiba, who took office in October, has been at rock-bottom for months, partly because of high inflation, with rice prices doubling over the past year. The LDP took 21 Tokyo assembly seats in Sunday's vote, including three won by candidates previously affiliated with the party but not officially endorsed following a political funding scandal. This breaks the party's previous record low of 23 seats from 2017, according to the Asahi Shimbun and other local media. Ishiba described the results as a 'very harsh judgment.' 'We will study what part of our campaign pledge failed to resonate with voters and ensure we learn from this,' he told reporters on Monday. Tomin First no Kai, founded by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, increased its seats in the 127-member assembly to 31, becoming the largest party. The funding scandal 'may have affected' the result, Shinji Inoue, head of the LDP's Tokyo chapter, said Sunday as exit polls were released. Policies to address inflation 'didn't reach voters' ears very well' with opposition parties also pledging to tackle the issue, Inoue said. Within weeks Ishiba will face elections for parliament's upper house, with reports saying the national ballot could be held on July 20. Voters angry with rising prices and political scandals deprived Ishiba's LDP and its junior coalition partner of a majority in the powerful lower house in October, marking the party's worst general election result in 15 years. Polls this month showed a slight uptick in support, however, thanks in part to policies to tackle high rice prices. Several factors lie behind recent shortages of rice at Japanese shops, including an intensely hot and dry summer two years ago that damaged harvests nationwide, and panic-buying after a 'mega-quake' warning last year. Some traders have been hoarding rice in a bid to boost their profits down the line, experts say. Not including volatile fresh food, goods and energy in Japan were 3.7 percent higher in May than a year earlier. To help households combat the cost of living, Ishiba has pledged cash handouts of 20,000 yen ($139) for every citizen ahead of the upper house election. Masahisa Endo, a politics professor at Waseda University, described the Tokyo assembly result as 'severe' for the ruling party. 'Tokyo is not a stronghold for the LDP, but it's possible that its support is weakening across the nation,' he said. Even if Ishiba fails to win an upper-house majority, it is hard to see who would want to take his place, while Japan's opposition parties are too divided to mount a credible challenge to the LDP's power, Endo told AFP. The opposition Democratic Party For the People (DPP) won seats for the first time in the Tokyo assembly vote, securing nine. The DPP's campaign pledge for the July election includes sales tax cuts to boost household incomes. Sunday's voter turnout rate was 47.6 percent, compared to the 42.4 percent four years ago, according to local media. A record 295 candidates ran — the highest since 1997, including 99 women candidates, also a record high. The number of women assembly members rose to 45 from 41, results showed.
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Tokyo voters deal blow to ruling LDP in key poll ahead of national vote
TOKYO, June 23 — Voters in Tokyo decisively knocked Japan's ruling party from its position as the largest group in the city assembly, results showed Monday, a warning sign for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's unpopular government before July elections. Japanese media said it was a record-low result in the key local election for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has led the country almost continuously since 1955. Public support for Ishiba, who took office in October, has been at rock-bottom for months, partly because of high inflation, with rice prices doubling over the past year. The LDP took 21 Tokyo assembly seats in Sunday's vote, including three won by candidates previously affiliated with the party but not officially endorsed following a political funding scandal. This breaks the party's previous record low of 23 seats from 2017, according to the Asahi Shimbun and other local media. Tomin First no Kai, founded by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, increased its seats in the 127-member assembly to 31, becoming the largest party. 'This was a very tough election,' Shinji Inoue, head of the LDP's Tokyo chapter, said Sunday as exit polls showed a decline in the party's seats. The funding scandal 'may have affected' the result, while policies to address inflation 'didn't reach voters' ears very well' with opposition parties also pledging to tackle the issue, Inoue said. Within weeks Ishiba will face elections for parliament's upper house, with reports saying the national ballot could be held on July 20. Cost of living Voters angry with rising prices and political scandals deprived the 68-year-old's ruling coalition of a majority in the powerful lower house in October, its worst general election result in 15 years. Polls this month showed a slight uptick in support, however, thanks in part to policies to tackle high rice prices. Several factors lie behind recent shortages of rice at Japanese shops, including an intensely hot and dry summer two years ago that damaged harvests nationwide, and panic-buying after a 'mega-quake' warning last year. Over this time some traders have been hoarding rice in a bid to boost their profits down the line, experts say. Not including volatile fresh food, goods and energy in Japan were 3.7 per cent higher in May than a year earlier. To help households combat the cost of living, Ishiba has pledged cash handouts of ¥20,000 (RM595) for every citizen ahead of the upper house election. The opposition Democratic Party For the People (DPP) won seats for the first time in the Tokyo assembly vote, securing nine. The DPP's campaign pledge for the July election includes sales tax cuts to boost household incomes. Sunday's voter turnout rate was 47.6 per cent, compared to the 42.4 per cent four years ago, according to local media. A record 295 candidates ran — the highest since 1997, including 99 women candidates, also a record high. The number of women assembly members rose to 45 from 41, results showed. — AFP
CNA
7 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
Tokyo voters punish Japan ruling party ahead of national election
TOKYO: Voters in Tokyo decisively knocked Japan's ruling party from its position as the largest group in the city assembly, results showed on Monday (Jun 23), a warning sign for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's unpopular government before July elections. Japanese media said it was a record-low result in the key local election for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has led the country almost continuously since 1955. Public support for Ishiba, who took office in October, has been at rock-bottom for months, partly because of high inflation, with rice prices doubling over the past year. The LDP took 21 Tokyo assembly seats in Sunday's vote, including three won by candidates previously affiliated with the party but not officially endorsed following a political funding scandal. This breaks the party's previous record low of 23 seats from 2017, according to the Asahi Shimbun and other local media. Tomin First no Kai, founded by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, increased its seats in the 127-member assembly to 31, becoming the largest party. "This was a very tough election," Shinji Inoue, head of the LDP's Tokyo chapter, said Sunday as exit polls showed a decline in the party's seats. The funding scandal "may have affected" the result, while policies to address inflation "didn't reach voters' ears very well" with opposition parties also pledging to tackle the issue, Inoue said. Within weeks Ishiba will face elections for parliament's upper house, with reports saying the national ballot could be held on Jul 20. COST OF LIVING Voters angry with rising prices and political scandals deprived the 68-year-old's ruling coalition of a majority in the powerful lower house in October, its worst general election result in 15 years. Polls this month showed a slight uptick in support, however, thanks in part to policies to tackle high rice prices. Several factors lie behind recent shortages of rice at Japanese shops, including an intensely hot and dry summer two years ago that damaged harvests nationwide, and panic-buying after a "mega-quake" warning last year. Over this time some traders have been hoarding rice in a bid to boost their profits down the line, experts say. Not including volatile fresh food, goods and energy in Japan were 3.7 per cent higher in May than a year earlier. To help households combat the cost of living, Ishiba has pledged cash handouts of 20,000 yen (US$139) for every citizen ahead of the upper house election. The opposition Democratic Party For the People (DPP) won seats for the first time in the Tokyo assembly vote, securing nine. The DPP's campaign pledge for the July election includes sales tax cuts to boost household incomes. Sunday's voter turnout rate was 47.6 per cent, compared to the 42.4 per cent four years ago, according to local media. A record 295 candidates ran – the highest since 1997, including 99 women candidates, also a record high.
Japan Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Koike-backed party gains seats as LDP dealt setback in Tokyo assembly poll
The political party backed by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike cruised to victory in Sunday's Tokyo metropolitan assembly elections, as voters dealt the Liberal Democratic Party a historic blow. Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First), supported by Koike as a special adviser, remained the biggest party, taking 31 seats, up from 26. Meanwhile, the LDP secured just 21 seats — down from 30 in the previous assembly. The party, which together with Komeito makes up the ruling bloc in national politics, had never had fewer than 23 seats in the assembly. Komeito was also dealt a blow, winning 19 seats, down from 23. It was the first time since 1993 that every Komeito candidate running for the assembly had not managed to win a seat. Still, the three parties supporting Koike — Tomin first, the LDP and Komeito — managed to maintain their combined majority of 127 total seats in the assembly. Two smaller parties, the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito, also won seats for the first time, securing nine and three spots, respectively. Despite fielding 42 candidates, the Path to Rebirth, the new regional party set up by Shinji Ishimaru — runner-up to Koike in last year's gubernatorial election — all failed to win a seat. Turnout across 42 voting districts in Tokyo was 47.59%, 5.2 percentage points higher than the previous election in 2021 and the fifth lowest in history. A main focus of voters were measures to combat rising prices in Tokyo. The election results were seen as an indicator for the Upper House election which is expected to be held July 20.
