Tokyo Governor Election Seen Affecting Kishida Govt

Tokyo, June 12 (Jiji Press)--The July 7 Tokyo gubernatorial election is expected to affect the fortunes of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as his Liberal Democratic Party seeks to support incumbent Governor Yuriko Koike, who announced Wednesday that she will seek a third term.
 

Koike's potential defeat could be another heavy blow to the Kishida administration, after the LDP suffered defeats in three by-elections for the House of Representatives in April, the Shizuoka gubernatorial election in May and the mayoral election in Tokyo's Minato Ward this month.
 

Koike's victory would put an end to the LDP's losing streak, which reflects headwinds from the party's "slush fund" scandal.
 

"We will make all-out efforts (to support Koike in the Tokyo gubernatorial election) by cooperating with the (LDP's) Tokyo chapter," LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi has said.
 

Koike will be challenged by House of Councillors lawmaker Renho, who will be backed by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party.
 

Koike was formerly an LDP member but criticized the party's Tokyo chapter as a "black box" when she ran for Tokyo governor in 2016. In the 2017 general election for the Lower House, she led the now-defunct Party of Hope.
 

However, Koike has recently appeared to be moving closer to the LDP, supporting an LDP-endorsed candidate in the January mayoral election in the city of Hachioji, Tokyo.
 

An LDP source said that Koike has an advantage in the current situation. Meanwhile, an official of Komeito, the LDP's junior coalition partner, said that the LDP's support would be helpful if Koike faces a tight race.
 

Still, there are concerns that the party's support could be a double-edged sword for Koike, as a strong LDP presence could alienate independent voters due to the slush fund scandal.
 

Some in the LDP have proposed indirectly supporting Koike through a body for political activities during the election campaign period from June 20. But an LDP lawmaker elected from a constituency in Tokyo warned against the move, saying, "We will lose all elections if the LDP is perceived to be campaigning."
 

"It is entirely up to Koike," a party official said of how the party would take part in the election. "We are in a difficult position."
 

The CDP and the JCP aim to make the LDP's slush fund scandal a key issue in the gubernatorial race.
 

"We must make it an election in which Tokyo will judge on the issue of politics and money," CDP parliamentary affairs chief Jun Azumi said at a party meeting Wednesday.
 

"This election will judge the Koike-led metropolitan government and the LDP-Komeito coalition," JCP head Tomoko Tamura said.
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