Komeito agrees to mutual endorsement of candidates in Tokyo assembly contest

March 14 , 2017

Komeito’s Tokyo assembly caucus and Gov. Koike met on Mar. 13Komeito’s Tokyo assembly caucus and Gov. Koike (second from left) met on Mar. 13

At a press conference on March 13, Yoshio Nakajima, acting chief representative for Komeito’s Tokyo assembly caucus and a candidate in the upcoming assembly race, announced that he had met with Kazusa Noda, representative and candidate of the Tokyo Tomin First no Kai (TTFK), the regional political party led by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. Nakajima reported that the two parties have agreed to support each another’s candidates in the 127-member elections to be held on July 2. A policy accord that was established between the Tomin First no Kai and the Tokyo assembly’s Komeito caucus on March 10, signed by its Secretary General Kunihiro Higashimura, was also announced. Following the press conference, Nakajima, Higashimura and other Komeito representatives met with Governor Koike.

In the press conference, Nakajima gave an account of what led to Komeito’s decision to cooperate, citing not only the party’s acknowledgement of Gov. Koike’s personal as well as political integrity, but also the alignment of policy objectives held by the two parties. For example, among the programs Komeito had pushed for that the Koike administration included in its fiscal 2017 budget were tuition exemptions for private high schools, increasing security gates on subway platforms and developing disaster prevention measures that valued women’s perspectives, making it “clear to us then that our policies closely aligned,” he explained.

Over the course of numerous discussions on policy matters, the two parties grew closer, with Koike publicly stating her desire to cooperate with Komeito in the July contest. Nakajima said that the parties had reached a policy accord that set forth 35 points in ten categories including reform of the Tokyo metropolitan government, the success of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, disaster risk reduction and prevention measures, becoming a global leader in social welfare services and education for human development.

TTFK Representative Noda commended Komeito’s policy proposals and requests for funding, saying, “They brought to the table many insightful recommendations that never would have occurred to us; it was very informative.” Regarding the allocation of free tuition for private high schools, he said, “We incorporated it into the budget based on Komeito’s detailed policy proposal.”

In terms of metropolitan government reform, Noda also stressed that “Komeito had led the way” with their proposals for the paring of legislator salaries by 20% and making government expenditures fully transparent. “They were in direct agreement with reforms proposed by the Koike administration and the direction in which we want to head,” he said. “Looking ahead, we would like the Komeito to play a more prominent role in the metropolitan government. That is why we agreed on the policy accord and to supporting each other in the elections.”

In the upcoming Tokyo election, Komeito has endorsed 23 candidates in 21 multiple-seat districts and has agreed to back TTFK candidates in districts where the party is not fielding candidates while TTFK will be supporting all Komeito candidates.

During their meeting with Governor Koike, Nakajima reported that he and Noda had officially announced their parties’ decisions to support each another in the assembly elections. “We will join forces to bring about solid results in the elections,” he said.

After being briefed, Koike said she felt reassured by the policy agreement and that it was very important to her that the assembly advanced as a new and vastly improved body in order to make steady progress as a metropolitan government that indeed prioritizes the needs of the citizens of Tokyo.

She further stated, “Policies are made to be implemented. As governor and assembly, let’s work hand in hand to ensure that each policy is realized. I look forward to embracing this agreement fully.”

Meanwhile, Tetsuo Saito, chair of Komeito’s national elections committee, spoke with reporters following the two-party Tokyo assembly agreement to clarify the relationship his party has with the Liberal Democratic Party. Saito said the Tokyo agreement was strictly a prefectural accord, whereas the partnership of Komeito and LDP in the coalition government of Japan was on a national level and therefore remains viable and unchanged.