2016 Tokyo gubernatorial election

Last updated
2016 Tokyo gubernatorial election
Flag of Tokyo Metropolis.svg
  2014 31 July 2016 2020  
Turnout59.73% Increase2.svg 13.59 pp
 
Yuriko Koike 2016.jpg
Hiroya Masuda 200708.jpg
ShuntaroTorigoe cropped.jpg
Candidate Yuriko Koike Hiroya Masuda Shuntaro Torigoe
Party Independent Independent Independent
Popular vote2,912,6281,793,4531,346,103
Percentage44.49%27.4%20.56%
Supported by LDP, Komeito, Kokoro DP, JCP, SDP, PLP, TSN

2016 Tokyo Gubernatorial Election by municipalities.svg
Tokyo gubernatorial election 2016.svg
Koike swept all main island municipalities except Hinohara village, she won her largest margin in Toshima ward in her former lower house district, Masuda only carried Hinohara and a few towns and villages on the Izu islands.

Governor before election

Yoichi Masuzoe
Independent

Elected Governor

Yuriko Koike
Independent

The 2016 Tokyo gubernatorial election took place on 31 July 2016 to elect the successor to Governor Yoichi Masuzoe, who submitted his resignation to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on 15 June 2016. [1] By-elections in four of Tokyo's cities were held on the same day to fill vacancies in the Assembly.

Contents

Former Defense Minister Yuriko Koike won the election by a wide margin. Turnout increased sharply to 59% from 46% in the previous election. [2]

Background

Yoichi Masuzoe, a former national Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare, was elected in the February 2014 election. At the election he was endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito and received more than 2.11 million votes, [1] more than double his nearest opponent in the seven-candidate race. He replaced Naoki Inose, who had resigned in the second year of his four-year term due to a political funds scandal.

In May 2016 reports surfaced concerning Masuzoe's misuse of public funds, including the use of his chauffeur-driven government car to travel to and from his holiday house on most weekends. As examination into his spending continued, it was found that he had misused funds to purchase items for personal use, including art, comics, and meals, as well as paying for his family to stay in hotels that were accounted as meeting-related expenses. An independent investigation ultimately determined that he had acted inappropriately but not illegally. Despite this, surveys showed that more than 90% of Tokyo residents were dissatisfied with how he handled the issue and the lack of a clear explanation.

As pressure grew on Masuzoe to resign, a no-confidence motion jointly submitted by all of the parties represented in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly was to be put to a vote on the afternoon of 15 June. As the motion was likely to pass and wanting to avoid further disruption to the governing of the city, Masuzoe submitted his resignation to assembly President Shigeo Kawai on the morning of the 15th, to become effective as of 21 June. [1]

Candidates

A total of 21 candidates were nominated for the election. [3] Yuriko Koike, a former Minister of Defence and incumbent member for the Tokyo 10th district in the House of Representatives, announced her candidacy despite not receiving an endorsement from the Liberal Democratic Party. [3] Instead, the LDP (along with Komeito and the Party for Japanese Kokoro) endorsed Hiroya Masuda, who is a former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and former governor of Iwate Prefecture. [3] [4] Actor Junichi Ishida was approached by the Democratic Party but ultimately declined to run. [4] Ultimately, the Democratic Party and other opposition parties (including the Communist and Social Democratic parties) endorsed veteran journalist Shuntaro Torigoe. [3] Kenji Utsunomiya, former head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and a candidate in the two previous gubernatorial elections, announced his intention to run on 11 July but withdrew two days later. [5]

The Guardian stated that the election "has piqued interest not only because of the size of the task which falls to its victor, but also for the mud slinging and misogyny which has characterised the fight between the candidates." Former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara made disparaging remarks regarding Koike's age and use of makeup, and characterized Torigoe as a "traitor to his country" for questioning Japanese protection of the Senkaku Islands. Torigoe was attacked in a tabloid magazine with allegations that he seduced a 20-year-old university student ten years earlier, in what some viewed as a deliberate smear campaign by his opposition. [6] [7]

Candidates [8]
NameAgeParty
(Endorsements)
Notes
Shōgo Takahashi32 Independent
Yujiro Taniyama43Independent
Makoto Sakurai 44IndependentFounder of Zaitokukai. The election placed him fifth place, with 114,171 votes or 1.74% of the popular vote. [9]
Shuntaro Torigoe 76Independent
(Democratic, Communist and Social Democratic, People's Life parties, [3] Tokyo Seikatsusha Network)
Hiroya Masuda 64Independent
(Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, Party for Japanese Kokoro) [3]
Former Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, former governor of Iwate Prefecture
Mac Akasaka 67IndependentPerennial candidate
Toshio Yamaguchi 75People's Sovereignty PartyFormer Minister of Labour
Masaaki Yamanaka52Future Creation Management Practice Party
Teruki Gotō 33IndependentKnown for his naked election posters
Masatoshi Kishimoto63Independent
Yuriko Koike 64IndependentFormer Minister of Defence
Takashi Uesugi 48Independent
Hiroko Nanami32 Happiness Realization Party
Chōzō Nakagawa60IndependentFormer mayor of Kasai, Hyōgo
Yasuhiro Sekiguchi64Independent
Takashi Tachibana 48 NHK Party Former Funabashi city councillor
Masahiro Miyazaki61Independent
Sadao Imao76Independent
Yoshihiko Mochizuki51Independent
Naoko Takei51Independent
Hisao Naitō59Independent

Results

Tokyo gubernatorial election, 2016 [10] [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Yuriko Koike 2,912,62844.49%N/A
Independent (Supported by LDP , Komeito , Party for Japanese Kokoro ) Hiroya Masuda 1,793,45327.40%N/A
Independent (Supported by Democrats , Communist , Social Democrats , PLP , TSN ) Shuntaro Torigoe 1,346,10320.56%N/A
Independent Takashi Uesugi 179,6312.74%N/A
Japan First Makoto Sakurai 114,1711.74%N/A
Smile Mac Akasaka 43,9120.72%N/A
Happiness Realization Hiroko Nanami28,8090.44%N/A
Anti-NHK Takashi Tachibana 27,2420.42%N/A
IndependentShōgo Takahashi16,6640.25%N/A
IndependentChōzō Nakagawa16,5840.25%N/A
People's Sovereignty Party Toshio Yamaguchi 15,9860.24%N/A
IndependentMasatoshi Kishimoto8,0560.12%N/A
Independent Teruki Gotō 7,0310.11%N/A
IndependentYujiro Taniyama6,7590.1%N/A
IndependentYoshihiko Mochizuki4,6050.07%N/A
IndependentMasahiro Miyazaki4,0100.06%N/A
IndependentYoshihiko Mochizuki3,3320.05%N/A
Future Creation Management Practice PartyMasaki Yamanaka3,3320.05%N/A
IndependentSadao Imao3,1050.05%N/A
IndependentHisao Naitō2,6950.04%N/A
IndependentYasuhiro Sekiguchi1,3260.02%N/A
Turnout 6,620,40759.73%Increase2.svg 13.59%

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References

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