A House of Representatives by-election in Kagoshima Constituency No. 2 is under way in what is essentially a showdown between the ruling and opposition parties.
The by-election is the first election since the House of Councillors election last summer, and is effectively a “mid-term election” for the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The election may sway future policymaking on important issues, including the debate over a constitutional reinterpretation that would enable Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense, as well as negotiations on the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership and the resumption of nuclear power plant operations.
Of the six people who filed their candidacies Tuesday, the spotlight will fall on Masuo Kaneko, a former prefectural assembly member fielded by the LDP, and independent candidate Akashi Uchikoshi, who is running with the backing of the Democratic Party of Japan, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party), Yui no To and the People's Life Party.
At a kickoff rally for Kaneko on Tuesday, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba said: “This election will put our administration to the test. The LDP will make an all-out effort under the LDP president [Abe].” Abe is scheduled to make an appearance in the election campaign on Sunday, and other Cabinet members and LDP executives plan to visit the constituency.
The government and the LDP are presenting a united front in the by-election, as this is the first Diet election since the April 1 consumption tax hike to 8 percent.
Dissatisfaction with the tax hike may come to the fore if the election proves to be an uphill struggle for the government and the LDP in the conservative stronghold of Kagoshima.
As Kagoshima Constituency No. 2 includes the Amami Islands, known for their sugar production, the sentiment of residents may affect the TPP negotiations as they enter the final stages. Ishiba gave 11 speeches around the islands ahead of the official start of campaigning. He tried to dispel farmers’ concerns, saying that the TPP would have very little effect on sugar production in the islands.
In May, the Advisory Panel on Reconstruction of the Legal Basis for Security, a key government panel of experts on national security, is scheduled to submit its report. The report will trigger full-scale debates among the ruling coalition parties on reinterpreting the Constitution to enable the nation to exercise its right to collective self-defense.
Some lawmakers in New Komeito, LDP’s coalition partner, have said that the debate over the constitutional interpretation may affect next spring’s unified local elections. Sources close to the prime minister said they want to deliver an overwhelming victory in the by-election, and use it to demonstrate a positive mandate in the upcoming discussions between the coalition parties.
Money-driven politics
Meanwhile, Uchikoshi, a former lower house member who left the DPJ, has made “politics and money” the key issue of his campaign.
At a kickoff rally for Uchikoshi, DPJ President Banri Kaieda said: “This by-election was caused by money-driven politics. Let’s restore respect for the people of the prefecture.”
Although opposition parties were able to work together against the ruling coalition in the by-election, their stances on major campaign issues are far from unified. For example, the DPJ supports the consumption tax hike, while the People’s Life Party and others do not. As for reinterpreting the right to collective self-defense, the DPJ is opposed, while Ishin no Kai supports it.
Another hot-button issue is the possible restart of the Sendai nuclear power plant in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, which could take place this summer. Uchikoshi has not clearly shown whether he opposes the resumption, so the Social Democratic Party refuses to support him.
In the midst of a loan scandal surrounding former Your Party leader Yoshimi Watanabe, the confluence of money and politics has surfaced as an issue. Some in Uchikoshi’s camp have said, “The scandal has given people the impression that all politicians are awash in money.”
Terashi Mishima, a candidate supported by the Japanese Communist Party, also spoke at a rally in Kagoshima on Tuesday. “I will raise a voice against the consumption tax hike and against the resumption of nuclear power plant operations. Let’s say ‘No’ to the ‘unbridled’ Abe Cabinet,” he said.
Yomiuri News
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