LDP, Komeito fail to win majority in Tokyo assembly election

Wonderful news!

Quick summary

LDP, 25 to 33 seats (+8), supports Olympics with spectators, Leader: Suga

Tomin First no Kai, 46 to 31 seats (-15), supports Olympics without spectators, Leader: Koike

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, 7 to 15 seats (+8), supports Olympic cancellation, Leader: Edano

Japanese Communist Party, 18 to 19 seats (+1), supports Olympic cancellation or postponement, Leader: Shii

How many seats does Komeito have now?

@Asiaman7

Thanks for the breakdown.

There was also the New Kometio Party, supports Olympics with spectators: 23 to 23, no change.

A few other minor parties also had no change of either 1 to 1, or 0 to 0

Are the bells of liberty beginning to ring?

Vive la liberté ! - Long live freedom!

“LDP fail…” 2012 - 2021?

How can this be called an election when only 28% of the people voted! And we all know that by percentage it is the elderly who go out and vote more, and they mostly support the damn old LDP and it's flunky junior partner Komeito. Japan should either allow mail in ballots, or do like the Aussies and make it a crime not to vote.

How many seats does Komeito have now?

What is Komeito?

LDP-Komeito coalition in national politics

Is that coalition only at national level, or are they teaming up also at Tokyo level?

Quick summary (Correction and Update — the original Tomin First seat number is incorrectly reported above)

LDP, 25 to 33 seats (+8), supports Olympics with spectators, Leader: Suga

Tomin First no Kai, 45 to 31 seats (-14), supports Olympics without spectators, Leader: Koike

Komeito, 23 to 23 seats, supports Olympics with spectators, Leader: Yamaguchi 

Japanese Communist Party, 18 to 19 seats (+1), supports Olympic cancellation or postponement, Leader: Shii

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, 7 to 15 seats (+8), supports Olympic cancellation, Leader: Edano

Others, 7 to 6 seats (-1)

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210705/k10013120011000.html

Great Job, Japanese people. Fighto!

How can this be called an election when only 28% of the people voted! 

From the article

Voter turnout was 42.39 percent

Where did you get 28% from??

Great summary @Asiaman7 6:57am…

Quick summary

LDP, 25 to 33 seats (+8), supports Olympics with spectators, Leader: Suga

Tomin First no Kai, 46 to 31 seats (-15), supports Olympics without spectators, Leader: Koike

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, 7 to 15 seats (+8), supports Olympic cancellation, Leader: Edano

Japanese Communist Party, 18 to 19 seats (+1), supports Olympic cancellation or postponement, Leader: Shii ” -

… and, in that fashion, and perhaps, more informative?

The low voter turn out continues, even before the pandemic it was low so that’s not really an excuse. It is very difficult to find out what these parties in vision for the future unless you research yourself. And who has time for that. You might get “lucky” and have a potential politician outside your station doing a sad impersonation of an Idol appearance. This usual degenerates into being yelled at from a person perched on the roof of a mini van. Which not actual policy explained.

‘The campaign rules are archaic and need to change because at present the only information on policy the public get is summed up by a portrait photo. It’s no wonder people aren’t interested. There is no discourse about the future vision these people have for the country or the individual.

MarkXToday  07:18 am JST

How can this be called an election when only 28% of the people voted! 

Does this 28% claim have a source? I’m seeing 42.39% in the article. Still low, but far higher than 28%.

Japan should either allow mail in ballots, or do like the Aussies and make it a crime not to vote.

That wouldn't work here. Most people are are apathetic don't want to get involved in something they have been taught to neither understand nor care about.

Japan is a type of geriatric aristo-oligarchy.

This is what happens when you bend the people over and treat them like cretinous worker bees! Great news now we just need an alternative to the LDP!…

Suga, it's time to rest your sleepy eyes.

Last night NHK announced 28%, just going by what the national broadcaster stated.

Wonderful news!

Yup!!

Looks like the LDP are in for a thrashing come general elections- and IF there is a surge of cases right after the Olympics, well...

This is encouraging.

While I obviously hope that the Olympics pass without incident in terms of increased cases, another part of me hopes that they will (from the view of optics) be a damp squib and embarrass Japan on the world stage. That may just provoke voters to keep this momentum going and show the LDP just what they think of them come the general election.

MarkXToday  07:41 am JST

Last night NHK announced 28%, just going by what the national broadcaster stated

You are absolutely correct! NHK reported the estimated turnout to be 28.41% (as of 19:30; polls apparently closed at 20:00). NHK also mentioned that this 28% would be 7.47 points lower than the previous election. All these percentages are far lower than those reported by Kyodo above.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210704/k10013118861000.html

"How can this be called an election when only 28% of the people voted!"

Well because those 28% chose to and the rest did not. That is how it works. In a Democracy you vote if you choose to without army guns at your back forcing you to vote. You know that pesky freedom thing.

Great way to start the day!

Voter turnout was 42.39 percent, down from 51.28 percent in the last Tokyo assembly election in 2017 and the lowest since 40.80 percent in the 1997 election.

What a joke! I guess we can infer that the people can care less about government, unlike other countries.

The result was likely attributed to voter dissatisfaction with Suga's response to the coronavirus pandemic and his stance on the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

I'm pretty sure that's the reason, along with Suga's incompetence.

However, this time, Komeito teamed up with its old ally, the LDP, given the need to prevail in the upcoming lower house election.

A sure loser bet.

"Looks like the LDP are in for a thrashing come general elections- and IF there is a surge of cases right after the Olympics, well..."

I think you guys need to read the article more closely.

"The LDP won 33 seats in the 127-seat assembly, up from the pre-election level of 25, displacing Tomin First no Kai, a regional party founded by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, as the leading force"

In other words the LDP now has the most seats in the Tokyo assembly, when they were in a minority.

Second,

The LDP was able to gain seats even when there is clear rebound in the number of cases in Tokyo.

Third,

Koike is not a force outside Tokyo.

Finally,

the LDP won the exact number of seats the polls said the would win.

As an outsider I cant figure out if this is good news or bad. One party failed at something.

Good, a larger voter turnout, and a decisive thrashing of Suga and his lot would have been a better outcome.

But, I will gladly take this outcome any day of the week.

I hope that this will be a catalyst for big changes.

(Prolly not, though.)

Last night NHK announced 28%, just going by what the national broadcaster stated.

Try going by the article next time and the full results several hours later.

I find the comments about low turnout a bit hilarious.

Seeing this was a Prefecture election, one needs to compare to state/Provincial elections. USA states legislature elections are notoriously low, California was only 46% even in Canada provincial elections voter turnout is often 10 percentage points or more lower than federal election turnout.

For anyone who does not know, Kometo is influenced by the religious group 創価学会, Sokagakkai, which has far reaching connections to nations top elite especially the Tokyo elite. Though I am not from Tokyo, this information comes from a conversation I had with my wife long ago, her family is affiliated with 浄土真宗Jodo Shinshu.

Japan needs new FRESH BLOOD to lead it in this era of the a progressive generation. The LDP if rusty and in need for new ideas and leadership.

Nice spin, Kyodo!

Spin Spin Spin. Let's try a different spin? The LDP/Komeito GAINED SEATS, while the Governor's party LOST seats. Kyodo helpfully provides a band-aid to Koike by claiming that her party was "expected to lose more seats than it did," but says nothing about predictions for the LDP coalition, or whether it performed better than expected (predictions which did exist, but were never "they're EXPECTED to retake the majority," at least not in any news source I've read!)

The LDP/Komeito coalition is now again the LARGEST grouping in the body, taking that position away from the governor. It GAINED seats. While not having a majority, it will run the body, stripping Koike's party of this leadership position.

Koike's party was the ONLY party to lose seats...silence on this fact by Kyodo. Komeito was previously working with Koike's party, then split from them, suddenly Koike's party LOST seats while Komeito's new partner gained seats...nothing but a minor detail to this analysis. Sigh. Finally, notice how Komeito's returns are NOWHERE to be found in this article? Wonder why? lol. (Komeito won 23 seats, exactly what it held before the election, no losses like Koike's party). Kyodo doesn't deign to inform us how close the partnership came to getting a majority, does it? (8 seats short) No, no, the "record number of women" is far more important than filling in the facts about the headline news, apparently. Smh~

This article wants to imply "LDP should've won a majority and it didn't!", when that was never any prediction anyone, not even Kyodo, suggested prior to the vote. No, the point hammered home in most of this willfully myopic article is, "Koike's party didn't do so poorly, now, did it? But LDP is in trouble..." even though Koike's group lost enough confidence so as to become second fiddle to the LDP alone, forget about Komeito!

Spin Spin Spin!

This article wants to imply "LDP should've won a majority and it didn't!", when that was never any prediction anyone, not even Kyodo, suggested prior to the vote.

A couple of weeks ago pre-election opinion polls were leaked to the Asahi Shimbun that indicated Koike's Tomin First party was heading for total destruction in the election, with some pundits even claiming her hospitalization was an attempt to distance herself from the impending catastrophe.

That this didn't happen is clearly a shock to Kyodo and the LDP, who were expecting to gain more seats.

Whether you are pro-LDP or anti-LDP, like any reasonable person should be, this looks like a half empty / half full glass situation.

28% is either a mistake, or it just takes into account the votes yesterday, but not the pre-vote. Many choose to vote in advance.

Although I know of course what you mean and maybe wish for, it’s quite funny how you interpret a win in seats, from 25 to 33 (that’s btw 32% up) and even regaining support from the former coalition partner (number of seats unchanged), as a big loss. When there were math lessons at elementary school, you preferred to let the sun shine on you at the beach , didn’t you? lol

The LDP gains seats and everyone is saying this is due to dissatisfaction at Suga's handling of the pandemic? Am I missing something here? Excuse me for not celebrating. This outcome is not surprising. And Suga will still be PM after the next national election.

The LDP don't want more young people to vote for the same reason the Republicans don't want more Blacks to vote.

Election turnout sure is low, but in the countries I've lived in where it's high, the promises are also broken, the wind of change also never comes, and the fat cats also always get the lion's share of the prize. We always get screwed in the end and we're always the ones that foot the bill for bankers and billionaires. Governments do only what is necessary so that we don't come at them with our pitchforks.

I think you guys need to read the article more closely.

"The LDP won 33 seats in the 127-seat assembly, up from the pre-election level of 25, displacing Tomin First no Kai, a regional party founded by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, as the leading force"

In other words the LDP now has the most seats in the Tokyo assembly, when they were in a minority.

Second,

The LDP was able to gain seats even when there is clear rebound in the number of cases in Tokyo.

Third,

Koike is not a force outside Tokyo.

Finally,

the LDP won the exact number of seats the polls said the would win.

I think you need to read the title of the article.

LDP, Komeito fail to win majority in Tokyo assembly election

Lets wait and see come general elections

Komeito used to do a lot of good, but sold themselves out to remain part of the coalition, starting with supporting LDP’s stance on supporting US military in various conflicts and not signing the nuclear arms ban treaty, and far more.

Komeito = Soka Gakkai. I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.

My FIL (he's LDP) had mixed feelings about this.

"LDP should've won a majority and it didn't!"

"A couple of weeks ago pre-election opinion polls were leaked to the Asahi Shimbun that indicated Koike's Tomin First party was heading for total destruction in the election."

I'm sure that even you can see that these two statements are NOT the same? You can spin "that's the story, not this" all you like, but don't be surprised when people call you out for it. The headline isn't "Koike's party didn't get destroyed", after all, it's "LDP/Kom FAILED to win a majority", even though they won the most seats and retook the leadership position. Why is that??

Never mind that no other party save Koike's lost any seats. Somehow, that's a "success", but the LDP stripping that party of its leadership position is a "failure". lol. I'm no LDP fan, just don't like spin much, nor do I like news that blatantly leaves many, many important facts unexplained or even unmentioned, no matter what side it comes from!

I'm sure that even you can see that these two statements are NOT the same?

Bizarrely patronising response to a simple reporting of facts. Why are you so triggered by a Kyodo headline? Kyodo's entire existence is predicated on spin, it's their raison d'être.

If you want to get worked up about Kyodo, maybe you should ask why they are ignoring this story about the Singaporean table tennis player who was interviewed by a Japanese camerman who later tested positive for corona virus.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-table-tennis-olympics-covid-19-japanese-cameraman-15148598

Well done! You just changed the topic. Again!

Let me avoid your trick by sticking to the quesiton you asked: because Kyodo's is the front page headline for your vaunted Asashi Shinbum, and the Mainichi, AND Japan Times...and Japan Today.

If the spin is "the winner is a loser" and this is the ONLY interpretation given to the entire country? lol. This is truth, but it's truth Pravda style!

I'm sure you can see the effect such spin might have on popular interpretations? It's hooked you for a goner already, for a start! lol.

for your vaunted Asashi Shinbum

It's not my shinbum.

Great that Japan is still using paper ballots. Electronic voting machines can be compromised too much as we have seen in some elections around the world. ;)

Last 12 Tokyo elections (from 1969 through 2013) before Koike became its Governor in 2016, LDP had been winning 50.7 seats on average. Then came Koike to become Governor, beating a candidate from LDP hands down. She formed a new local party, "Tomin First," by whom LDP was beaten in a historic defeat in 2017 election. LDP got only 23 seats, down from 59, thanks to Koike's popularity.

Now in this year's election, which LDP called "Revenge Election", they did regain the "largest party" title but they are not celebrating. Why? They won only 33 seats which is the second worst result in LDP history (since 1955) and failed to achieve their stated goal: winning majority seats together with Komeito despite the fact that Tomin First Party was not receiving much help form Koike unlike the previous election.

All polls before the election showed a poor support for Tomin First Party. Only about 6% to 9% of those who answered said they'd vote for the party. So for example, some predicted that Tomin First would get only about 7 seats. But they won 31 seats, beating everyone's prediction by a wide margin.

What these elections showed was that Koike and her party is a real threat to LDP. Hence, LDP is divided: there are people who really want to destroy Koike/Tomin First no matter what but there are those who want to reinstate her as a LDP member (if you cannot beat her, why not become a friend). She will not be easy to handle in either way.

CrashTestDummyToday  03:18 pm JST

Great that Japan is still using paper ballots. Electronic voting machines can be compromised too much as we have seen in some elections around the world. ;)

Are you the one they Don't put a seatbelt on?

Please give us a real verified example to backup you absurd claim!

Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!