No. 1356 The CDP Won in Recent By-elections of Lower House
Three by-elections of the House of Representatives were held to be assessed by the electorate; was completely defeated the coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito which drives recklessly to be a nation that could stage a war against others. The elections were held in the constituencies of the Tokyo’s No. 15 district, Nagasaki’s No. 3 district and Shimane’s No. 1 district. In the former two constituencies the LDP did not field candidates and in the last prefecture the ruling and the opposition candidates vied earnestly. Voters have expressed No! to the government.
US-FOLLOWING MILITARY EXPANSION POLICY DOES NOT WORK FOR POLITICAL PARTY TO BE GOVERNMENT
Voters have shown a stern response to the ruling LDP in the by-elections because the Kishida government and his party have been reluctant to settle the scandals in a sincere manner; the LDP’s connections with the Unification Church and the off-the-book money. This seems to be a beginning of the end of the coalition government.
CDP accepts criticisms on money politics
Concerning the money scandal, a survey conducted by Kyodo News Agency on voters’ behaviors in the Tokyo’s No. 15 Constituency has revealed that:
Forty-four percent of the respondents said they felt very serious, 33% of them were serious to a certain extent, in total 77% were criticizing. Meanwhile, 15% of the respondents replied not so keen on plutocracy and 5% said they paid no attention to it. The similar trend was seen among voters in the Shimane’s No. 1 Constituency.
The Tokyo’s constituency was flooded with nine candidates; a candidate from the CDP obtained 26% of unaffiliated votes and another 9% of the ballots of those who used to support the ruling LDP. In the election district in Shimane Prefecture where two candidates from the ruling and the opposition competed, the latter won 74% of unaffiliated votes, destroying the rocky wall of the conservative. The facts have shown that it is the CDP that could rightly absorb criticisms on the LDP, which is corrupted with illicit money.
According to the survey of Kyodo News Agency in April, over 60% of respondents wanted ‘to alter the government.’ The CDP has won in all of the three constituencies, but this does not mean that the CDP is an alternative to the current administration.
CDP is not expected to be government
The by-elections attracted great attention, but the turnout was low; in Tokyo the voting percentage was 40.70%, in Shimane 54.62% and in Nagasaki it was 35.45%. Every one of the figures has recorded the lowest in history.
The No.15 Constituency in Tokyo lies in the Koto Ward where the second-round mayoral election was held late December last year: the electorate were disgusted with corrupt politics and the turnout was 39.2% then, which is similar to the April election’s percentage. Incidentally, the voting rate in the 2009 general election, when the ex-Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) gained the state’s power, was 69.28% and in the previous election (2005) the turnout was 67.51% in the constituency.
According to an investigation by NHK, a supporting rate of ex-DPJ was 23.7% in the previous year prior to the 2009 election (December 2008), but the ratio in favor of the succeeding party, the CDP, was only 6.5% in April this year.
A low supporting rate, why?
In the end of the year 2022 the Kishida government approved the controversial three documents on national security in his Cabinet. It has authorized military fortification of the Ryukyu archipelagoes and missile deployment in the region, permitted regular military drills with the US troops, and implemented the law to assist military industries. The administration has been engaged in preparation for warfare as a fait de accompli, restarted operations at nuclear power plants and dumped radioactively-polluted water into the sea.
This year the Kishida government enacted the ‘Economic Security Promotion Act’, an economic version of the Law on Protection of Secret Information, and the ‘Law on Establishment of Joint Operation Command’ which unifies troops of the US and Japan to a single unit. The CDP, unfortunately, has agreed in legislation of these military projects. The low supporting rate indicates that the electorate see the CDP follows the Kishida government easily in terms of national security.
It is said that today we witness ‘a new form of prewar days.’ People have in mind, No! War and Life and Livelihood First! The CDP could not win people’s support if it maintains the program based on the US-Japan Security Treaty.
軍事大国・戦争国家へ暴走する岸田自公政権の評価が問われた先の衆院３補選、自民党は東京15区、長崎３区で不戦敗、与野党対決の島根１区でも惨敗。有権者は、「ノー！」を突き付けた。
今回の補選で、「統一教会」問題や自民党派閥の「裏金」疑惑に正面から向き合わない岸田文雄首相や自民党の姿勢に有権者は厳しい審判を下した。自公政権の終わりの始まりだ。
金権批判の受皿に
共同通信の東京15区での投票動向調査は、「カネの問題」を「大いに重視した」44％、「ある程度重視した」33％、計77％で、「あまり重視しなかった」が15％、「まったく重視しなかった」が５％。島根１区も同様だった。
９人が乱立した東京15区では、立憲民主党の候補が無党派層の26％を獲得、自民党支持層からも９％獲得した。与野党一騎打ちだった島根１区では無党派層の74％を獲得、保守の岩盤を打ち崩し、金権腐敗・自民党批判の受皿が立民であることを示した。
共同通信の４月世論調査によると、「政権交代してほしい」が６割を超えた。しかし、今回の補選で全勝した立民が政権交代の「受皿」となっているかと言えば、そうではない。
政権期待低い立民
今回の補選は大変注目されたが、投票率は東京40・70％、島根54・62％、長崎35・45％と、いずれも過去最低だった。
東京15区（江東区）は昨年末、区民がそっぽを向いたと言われた「区長再選挙」の投票率39・2％とほぼ同じだ。ちなみに、旧民主党が政権を奪取した２００９年の衆院選の投票率は69・28％、その前の衆院選（05年）は67・51％だった。
09年総選挙前年（08年12月）の旧民主党の政党支持率はＮＨＫの調査で23・７％だったが、今年４月の立民支持率は６・５％しかない。
低支持率はなぜか
岸田政権は22年末、安保三文書を閣議決定し、琉球弧の要塞化とミサイル配備、日米演習の常態化、防衛産業支援法強行と、戦争準備を既成事実化し、原発再稼働・放射能汚染水放出も強行した。
そして今年、秘密保護法の経済版「経済安保情報保護法案」、日米軍が一体化する「統合作戦司令部設置法案」を成立させた。立民はこれら軍拡法案に賛成した。低支持率は、政権に追従する安全保障政策にある。
「新たな戦前」と言われる今日、国民の本心は「戦争するな・命と生活第一」。立民の日米安保機軸の安全保障政策で、支持は得られない。
英訳版↓
No. 1356 The CDP Won in Recent By-elections of Lower House
Three by-elections of the House of Representatives were held to be assessed by the electorate; was completely defeated the coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito which drives recklessly to be a nation that could stage a war against others. The elections were held in the constituencies of the Tokyo’s No. 15 district, Nagasaki’s No. 3 district and Shimane’s No. 1 district. In the former two constituencies the LDP did not field candidates and in the last prefecture the ruling and the opposition candidates vied earnestly. Voters have expressed No! to the government.
US-FOLLOWING MILITARY EXPANSION POLICY DOES NOT WORK FOR POLITICAL PARTY TO BE GOVERNMENT
Voters have shown a stern response to the ruling LDP in the by-elections because the Kishida government and his party have been reluctant to settle the scandals in a sincere manner; the LDP’s connections with the Unification Church and the off-the-book money. This seems to be a beginning of the end of the coalition government.
CDP accepts criticisms on money politics
Concerning the money scandal, a survey conducted by Kyodo News Agency on voters’ behaviors in the Tokyo’s No. 15 Constituency has revealed that:
Forty-four percent of the respondents said they felt very serious, 33% of them were serious to a certain extent, in total 77% were criticizing. Meanwhile, 15% of the respondents replied not so keen on plutocracy and 5% said they paid no attention to it. The similar trend was seen among voters in the Shimane’s No. 1 Constituency.
The Tokyo’s constituency was flooded with nine candidates; a candidate from the CDP obtained 26% of unaffiliated votes and another 9% of the ballots of those who used to support the ruling LDP. In the election district in Shimane Prefecture where two candidates from the ruling and the opposition competed, the latter won 74% of unaffiliated votes, destroying the rocky wall of the conservative. The facts have shown that it is the CDP that could rightly absorb criticisms on the LDP, which is corrupted with illicit money.
According to the survey of Kyodo News Agency in April, over 60% of respondents wanted ‘to alter the government.’ The CDP has won in all of the three constituencies, but this does not mean that the CDP is an alternative to the current administration.
CDP is not expected to be government
The by-elections attracted great attention, but the turnout was low; in Tokyo the voting percentage was 40.70%, in Shimane 54.62% and in Nagasaki it was 35.45%. Every one of the figures has recorded the lowest in history.
The No.15 Constituency in Tokyo lies in the Koto Ward where the second-round mayoral election was held late December last year: the electorate were disgusted with corrupt politics and the turnout was 39.2% then, which is similar to the April election’s percentage. Incidentally, the voting rate in the 2009 general election, when the ex-Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) gained the state’s power, was 69.28% and in the previous election (2005) the turnout was 67.51% in the constituency.
According to an investigation by NHK, a supporting rate of ex-DPJ was 23.7% in the previous year prior to the 2009 election (December 2008), but the ratio in favor of the succeeding party, the CDP, was only 6.5% in April this year.
A low supporting rate, why?
In the end of the year 2022 the Kishida government approved the controversial three documents on national security in his Cabinet. It has authorized military fortification of the Ryukyu archipelagoes and missile deployment in the region, permitted regular military drills with the US troops, and implemented the law to assist military industries. The administration has been engaged in preparation for warfare as a fait de accompli, restarted operations at nuclear power plants and dumped radioactively-polluted water into the sea.
This year the Kishida government enacted the ‘Economic Security Promotion Act’, an economic version of the Law on Protection of Secret Information, and the ‘Law on Establishment of Joint Operation Command’ which unifies troops of the US and Japan to a single unit. The CDP, unfortunately, has agreed in legislation of these military projects. The low supporting rate indicates that the electorate see the CDP follows the Kishida government easily in terms of national security.
It is said that today we witness ‘a new form of prewar days.’ People have in mind, No! War and Life and Livelihood First! The CDP could not win people’s support if it maintains the program based on the US-Japan Security Treaty.
May 22, 2024