In the Tokyo district race for Japan’s Upper House election, all major qualified parties are competing. The Democratic Party for the People (DPP) tried to ride a wave of strong poll numbers by fielding two candidates, but their momentum faded quickly. Since then, a series of missteps has left the party struggling.
DPP's Troubles:
Party leader Yuichiro Tamaki was confident on the campaign’s opening day, saying two seats were possible. At the time, DPP had just seen strong gains in the last lower house election and even outranked the main opposition party (CDP) in polls.
In April, the DPP nominated two newcomers for Tokyo: former TV announcer Mayu Ushida and former company worker Yoshihiro Okumura. But then controversy hit. News broke that the DPP planned to nominate former lawmaker Shiori Yamao, known for past scandal, in the national proportional race. That and Tamaki’s own gaffe about government rice reserves being "animal feed" caused support to drop. Yamao was eventually dropped, but the damage was done.
Ushida and Okumura faced backlash from voters on the street. Campaign staff said interest was low, and voter response was weak.
Sanseito’s Rise:
While DPP lost ground, the new party Sanseito surged. Its leader Sohei Kamiya drew cheers in Ginza with nationalist slogans like “Japan First.” Their candidate, singer Saya, focused on social media outreach, similar to DPP's strategy. Sanseito’s recent wins in Tokyo’s local elections suggest they’re picking up former DPP supporters. A DPP insider said grimly, “A dark horse has arrived.”
Internal Conflicts:
DPP’s aggressive strategy also strained ties with Tokyo’s local party "Tomin First no Kai," which had worked with them before. DPP ignored Tomin First’s wishes by pushing their own candidates in the Tokyo assembly race, leading to some losses. In retaliation, Tomin First is not supporting DPP in the national race.
DPP’s relationship with the powerful Rengo labor union is also shaky. Union leaders are upset with Tamaki for distancing from the main opposition and are only lukewarm about backing DPP’s candidates.
Meanwhile, Yamao, upset over the party’s handling of her candidacy, quit and is now running independently in Tokyo. Analysts think she could siphon off tens of thousands of votes from DPP’s two candidates.
Crowded Field:
The Tokyo race is crowded. The ruling LDP has incumbent Keizo Takemi and newcomer Daichi Suzuki. The CDP is running two incumbents. Other candidates include Komeito’s Yudai Kawamura, Ishin’s former lawmaker Shun Otokita, the Communist Party’s Yoshiko Kira, and Reiwa’s newcomer Joji Yamamoto.
by MagazineKey4532