Koike School Opens

Leaving the concern of the leading party about growing criticisms on traditional and obsolete politics, Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, opened her private school of politics on Sunday. Local politicians, women or students gathered, embracing hope of ideal type of social governance. Many recognize it as Koike’s ambition to establish new party. Wait a minute. Haven’t we seen this in Osaka, where a despotic populist, Toru Hashimoto, tried to make his kingdom?

Koike named the institution “School of Hope,” which indicated no actual policy the students would seek. 2,902 students out of 4,827 applicants entered it. Four out of ten were women. “To make wonderful capital politics and politics in Japan, we proceed to a direction where the students will not be critics but players to participate in politics,” told Koike in her opening speech.

Newspapers focuses on seven students, who are Tokyo Congressmen with Liberal Democratic Party, calling them “Seven Samurais.” They supported Koike in her gubernatorial election, defying the order from LDP headquarters to vote for its official candidate. Although local organization of LDP required the headquarters to expel those seven congressmen, party leaders were reluctant to do that, being afraid of protest from Koike, who was popular to the voters in Tokyo.

While those seven congressmen joined Koike’s school with affiliation of LDP, it is supposed that the institute will be the basis of a new party. LDP leaders are afraid of new party to raise a number of candidates in the election of Tokyo Congress next summer. It is likely that new party will achieve a victory with hope of change. Watching consecutive scandal of politics in Tokyo, including obscure process of building new fish market or stadiums for Tokyo Olympic in 2020, the voters in Tokyo are highly skeptical on existing members of the congress.

Led by Governor Hashimoto, Restoration School of Politics produced a lot of local politicians in Osaka. His Osaka Restoration Party achieved a simple majority of Osaka Congress in the election in 2011. While they tried to distribute concentrated power in Tokyo to other regions, existing parties blocked it through opposing Hashimoto’s biggest agenda, Osaka Capital Initiative.

Koike’s school has some advisors who led the movement in Osaka. But, Koike has not made clear what kind of policy she would uphold. Only massage she delivers is change. School of Hope is weaker than Restoration School so far.