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2012 November 28 - December 4 TOP3 [TOKYO]

No more nuclear power in Tokyo: candidate Utsunomiya starts election campaign

As the Tokyo gubernatorial election kicked off on November 29, anti-nuke candidate Utsunomiya Kenji pledged to promote efforts to break away from nuclear power generation in the nation’s capital.

Utsunomiya, 66, former president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, is supported by the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Nippon Mirai no To (Japan Future Party).

The other major candidates in the election race are Vice Governor Inose Naoki, the successor of former Governor Ishihara Shintaro (backed by the Liberal Democratic, Komei, and Japan Restoration parties), and former Kanagawa Governor Matsuzawa Shigefumi.

In his first campaign speech in front of Yurakucho Station, Utsunomiya said that he will utilize Tokyo’s abundant financial resources to create a city where everyone can live with human dignity, to restore freedom in education, and defend the Constitution.

He criticized Ishihara’s top-down approach in his administration and said, “I will listen to residents’ opinions in order to address each issue.”

JCP Chair Shii Kazuo, speaking in support of Utsunomiya, stressed that the support for Utsunomiya is expanding wider than ever. “Let us achieve victory by bringing together all forces, covering individuals, organizations, and political parties.”


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