Proxy War of National Politics

Japanese politics focuses on an election for one seat in House of Representatives. The supplemental election in 5^th District of Hokkaido was announced on Tuesday. Two candidates struggle for a vacant seat, which was created by the decease of former Speaker of the House, Nobutaka Machimura. While the leading parties raised Machimura’s son-in-law, Yoshiaki Wada, the opposite parties established a joint support for a female candidate, Maki Ikeda. They are running head-to-head race to the voting day of April 24^th. The result will affect political strategy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

While Hokkaido 5^th District is located on the suburb of Sapporo city, the issues for the election are mostly national policies. Ikeda appeals her career as a nursery worker and require improved welfare policies. “I became to be involved in politics to establish comfortable welfare for everyone,” told Ikeda in her public speech. The opposite parties sharply criticize welfare policy of Abe administration as creating or widening gap between the rich and the poor. To attract public sentiment against Abe politics, she revealed her personal experience of domestic violence from her father, missing her husband or receiving livelihood protection.

Ikeda was a candidate of Democratic Party in former election. Japan Communist Party joined her candidacy turning down its card. The greatest reason is halting further advance of Abe administration, mainly in security policy. Civil activists support this DP-JCP cooperation in the campaign. “Abe’s version of positive pacifism is wrong concept, which generates cause for waging war,” appealed former Mayor of Sapporo, Fumio Ueda, in his supportive speech for Ikeda.

Wada on the other side appeals conservative policies to keep supporters for his father-in-law. “I’d like to repay for you who preserved determined conservatism with my father,” said Wada. Abe send Wada a message that described the election as an important choice between the leading coalition with responsibility for the people and DP-JCP cooperation only with criticism.

The election is literally a confidence vote on Abe administration. Wada keeps on appealing achievement of Abenomics, which is showing declining trend anyway. Ikeda demands warmer welfare policies for the elder, women or kids, frustrated with economy-oriented mind of current administration.

Abe will make up his mind whether he will have simultaneous election in this summer after this election. The result in Hokkaido 5^th can determine the direction of Japanese politics.