general_election

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

General election campaign starts

Campaigning for the September 11 House of Representatives general election began on August 30.

In his first campaign speech in front of Ikebukuro station in Tokyo, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo stressed how valuable it is for the people to have JCP seats increased in the face of the recent media craze for the two-party system (see separate item).

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro in his kick-off speech said that postal privatization is the biggest election issue, and slandered those who oppose it as "defending the vested interests of the privileged."

Kanzaki Takenori, representative of the ruling coalition partner Komei Party, stated that the Komei Party supports the prime minister 100 percent.

Democratic Party of Japan President Okada Katsuya emphasized that the DPJ cares about the needs of child-rearing and old age pension. He called on the audience for a change in government, but he failed to show any alternatives to replace the Koizumi policies favoring large corporations.

Fukushima Mizuho, Social Democratic Party leader, criticized both the Liberal Democratic Party and the DPJ for intending to amend Article 9 of the Constitution. However, the SDP has a contradiction in that it is in electoral cooperation with the DPJ.

The 480 House of Representatives seats are contested by 1,132 candidates in proportional and single-seat constituencies.

The 300 single seat constituency seats are contested by 989 candidates: LDP 290, DPJ 289, Komei 9, JCP 275, SDP 38, and others 88.

In the proportional representation section of the election, 180 seats are contested by 779 candidates: LDP 336, DPJ 295, Komei 43, SDP 44, JCP 39, and others 22. -- Akahata, August 31, 2005