Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Election: LDP’s Struggle Highlights Public Dissatisfaction with Politics

Editorial

16:45 JST, June 23, 2025

The harsh election results likely reflected public dissatisfaction with the running of the current administration, in addition to the issue of politics and money. The Liberal Democratic Party must take the voice of the voters seriously.

Voting and ballot counting for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election took place with a record 295 candidates running for 127 seats. The LDP, the largest party in the assembly, faced a tough race and looked set to lose a significant number of seats. The Tokyo-based regional party Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites first group) is likely to become the largest party.

The LDP had been facing headwinds even before the election. This was because the issue of party factions failing to include required information in their members’ political funds reports had also spread to the LDP group in the assembly. Moreover, the approval rating of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet has remained low.

In an attempt to change the situation, the LDP appealed to the public with measures against soaring rice prices under newly appointed Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, but it seems that the impact was limited.

The poor showing seems to be due in part to the central government’s erratic policy moves. Ishiba has announced that a ¥20,000 cash handout would be provided to everyone in the country as a measure to combat high prices. He has said that will be a key pledge in next month’s House of Councillors election.

The government had considered providing cash handouts this spring but decided against it due to unfavorable responses in opinion polls. The government’s willingness to turn to a simple cash handout as a countermeasure against opposition parties and an election strategy may have been seen as irresponsible in the eyes of Tokyo residents.

The latest election was viewed as a prelude to the upper house election. Many voters in Tokyo have no party affiliation and are said to be more likely to attach importance to developments in national politics when casting their ballots. The election results could affect the prime minister’s ability to lead.

The election campaign was lackluster. Many Tokyo residents cited high prices and wage increases as key issues. Partly in response, each party included measures to reduce housing and education costs in their campaign pledges, making it difficult for voters to see the differences in the policies.

Election campaigns in the capital, which faces many challenges such as dealing with the low birth rate and the aging population, as well as compiling disaster prevention measures, draw much attention nationwide. It is regrettable that the debate among candidates lacked energy.

A key issue is whether the LDP, Tomin First and Komeito, all of which support Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, can maintain their joint majority. Of these three parties, Tomin First looks set to increase its seats. It appears that, now in her third term, Koike has earned a certain degree of approval in the running of her administration.

In recent elections, the use of social media and video-sharing sites has grown rapidly. While these platforms are easy to use, there is also a danger that false or unverified information could influence election results.

Starting with this election, four companies that are members of The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association, including The Yomiuri Shimbun, have begun a fact-checking initiative to assess the accuracy of online information. Fair elections based on accurate information are a lifeline for democracy. The hope is that this understanding will be shared also in future elections.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 23, 2025)