Editorial
Shizuoka gubernatorial race results show voters want transfer of power
The outcome of the Shizuoka gubernatorial election clearly demonstrated that the public's calls for a transfer of power are growing louder, with Heita Kawakatsu -- supported by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party -- beating a candidate fielded by the ruling coalition in the election held on Sunday.
No one can precisely predict the final results of the upcoming general election for the House of Representatives. However, the victory of Kawakatsu, who had clearly emphasized during his campaign that he was a DPJ candidate and characterized the gubernatorial race as a prelude to a transfer of power, has undoubtedly dealt another serious blow to the administration of Prime Minister Taro Aso.
The gubernatorial election was called to pick the successor of former Gov. Yoshinobu Ishikawa, following his resignation. There were no major points of prefectural administration policy at issue during the campaign, and numerous voters obviously cast their ballots with a head-on clash between the LDP and the DPJ in the upcoming general election fully in mind.
The DPJ won the race, despite the fact that it had struggled to find a candidate until shortly before the campaign kicked off, and that a former DPJ member of the House of Councillors also ran. And the victory itself, though close, should be viewed as a reflection of a stronger public support for the DPJ than expected. Moreover, confusion over Aso's failed attempt to reshuffle the LDP leadership also adversely affected the LDP's chance of winning.
The ruling coalition, comprised of the LDP and Komeito, also suffered a setback in the Chiba mayoral race on June 14, and a loss in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election would cement LDP legislators' concerns that they cannot win the Lower House election under the leadership of Aso.
As a Mainichi opinion poll shows that the LDP faces an uphill battle in the ongoing Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly race, calls urging that the general election be postponed beyond late August will inevitably grow. Moves to force Aso to step down before the general election may also gain momentum.
However, as the Mainichi has pointed out in an earlier editorial, it is impermissible for LDP legislators to replace its leader and prime minister only for their own reasons without calling a general election to see if the public supports an LDP-led government. Prime Minister Aso should gracefully dissolve the Lower House at an early date, if he is going to insist the results of local elections have nothing to do with national politics.
But the DPJ is not in a stable condition, either. In particular, leader Yukio Hatoyama's explanation of a political donation scandal involving his fund-raising organization has apparently not convinced many voters. The ruling coalition will grill Hatoyama over the incident toward the end of the ongoing Diet session.
The battle over the dissolution of the Lower House is expected to continue at least until next week. All voters across the country, not only those in areas where local elections are held, should pay close attention to developments in the political world and take it into consideration when they decide which candidates they should vote in the Lower House race.
(Mainichi Japan) July 6, 2009