Fever Ceased

A wannabe dictator was defeated in serious way. Katsutoshi Nishibayashi, a candidate of Japan Restoration Party, suffered terrible defeat in the mayoral election of Sakai City on Sunday. It must give the party a greater damage than previous national elections, because reform of regional autonomy is the raison d’être of the party. People in Sakai City, who had significant interest to the integration plan of all cities in Osaka Prefecture, said no to that cause raised by the party. Now, the populist in Osaka, Toru Hashimoto, is questioned about his ability of governance.

The result of the election was too obvious for Hashimoto to deny decline of his party and himself. The incumbent Mayor, Osami Takeyama, secured about two hundred thousands votes, leaving margin with forty thousands to defeated Nishibayashi. Although Takeyama won last election as the candidate of Restroation Party, he shifted his standpoint to the opposite of the party, claiming that the integration plan would divide and eliminate historically independent city of Sakai. People in the city overwhelmingly supported his opinion.

The reason of the failure of Hashimoto, a co-leader of the party, was mainly attributed to people’s skepticisms against him. The integration plan was originally introduced as a measure for cutting inappropriate spending of local governments. Hashimoto could not show how that rationalization would work beyond partial loss of the identity of residents in the historical city.

However, the greater element of the defeat was skepticisms to the party. To make his agenda realistic, Hashimoto chose a course to enlarge his local party a year ago. Osaka Restoration Party became Japan Restoration Party by merging with an obsolete hawkish group led by Shintaro Ishihara. It was Hashimoto’s crucial mistake. After that party integration, there existed two causes in one party: local reform and eccentric conservative movement

Accepting Ishihara’s advice, Hashimoto refused his stepping down as a co-leader. But, old conservative zombies had sucked up most of Hashimoto’s political resource, which was popularity based on reform mind. It is not easy for him to restore political power. If he still wants to be a sort of political idol, he will be staying as a co-leader of the party. Otherwise, he should be separated from Ishihara group to promote his cause. As the fever on new reform ceased and expectation to the challenge against out-of-date bureaucracy turned to desperation, historical role of the party would be reaching to an end.