When Tokyo voters go to the polls on Sunday to elect the governor of the world’s largest city, they will be faced with a plethora of choices.
A total of 56 candidates are vying for the position, a record high. A self-proclaimed “joker” has proposed legalizing marijuana and says polygamy could solve the country’s declining birth rate. Another is a professional wrestler who hides his face from the camera and vows to use artificial intelligence to complete government tasks. A 96-year-old inventor says he will deploy gasoline cars that emit no carbon emissions; a 31-year-old entrepreneur takes off his shirt in a campaign video promising “fun things.”
It looks like democracy is out of control. But in reality, this race is fundamentally about the status quo, with the current president expected to win a third term.
The proliferation of candidates, many of whom are half-hearted seekers of followers, reflects a growing boredom with politics, creating a farcical, circus-like atmosphere that puts real change further out of reach.
Emma Dalton, senior lecturer in Japanese studies at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, said: “I wonder if this is democracy in action, or if it is like a ‘your own’ democracy.” Ms Dalton Said that many candidates criticized the current president Yuriko Koike “in the most vulgar way”. “Because they knew she was going to win.”
The Tokyo election is emblematic of Japanese politics, with the Liberal Democratic Party in power nationwide for just four years since 1955. expressed in China, but rarely at the ballot box.
Yuriko Koike, 71, has been facing questions about her university education and has refused to respond to allegations that she has ties to a major real estate developer involved in several controversial projects. But just as the Lib Dems have remained in power despite lower approval ratings, she may benefit from a sense that there is no need to upset the apple cart in a period of relative prosperity.
Jiro Yamaguchi, a political scientist at Tokyo’s Hosei University, said that despite growing inequality and poor areas, “most middle-class people are satisfied with life in Tokyo.”
While Koike has not fully delivered on her promises to eliminate daycare waiting lists, reduce congestion on commuter trains and eliminate overtime for city workers, she has used budget surpluses to provide subsidies for families with children and free tuition for Japanese private high schools.
Yuriko Koike did not agree to the interview request. Mitsui Fudosan, a developer involved in the construction project, said in an email that it had “no close relationship” with the governor and had not “received any special favors.”
At first, the Tokyo governor’s race seemed to herald a referendum on the LDP, when a strong challenger emerged against Koike: Rengo Saito, 56, the former leader of Japan’s largest opposition party, who resigned Running for parliamentary seats. But such a large field of candidates distracted her campaign.
Ms Saito is renowned in Japan as the first woman to lead the opposition Democratic Party. She has tried to distinguish herself from Koike by stressing the need to raise wages for young workers and rein in government spending. But she also criticized the National Party’s financial scandal as having nothing to do with the Tokyo governor.
Kenneth McElwain, a political scientist at the University of Tokyo, said focusing on the National Party was “a no-brainer”. The danger is that “that’s a reason not to vote for Koike, but it’s also a reason to vote for any of the 50-plus challengers.”
Other candidates have also launched attacks on the national government. Yusuke Kawai appeared in public broadcaster NHK’s campaign video with his hair shaggy, his face whitened and his lips painted red, depicting a caricature of the Joker from the Batman series, as he lambasted Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s tax increase plan.
“Prime Minister, before you raise taxes, you must sell that Rolex on your wrist!” he screamed, giggling maniacally and twisting on the table.
Campaign rules allow anyone who pays a deposit of about $19,000 to run for governor and gives each candidate two six-minute slots on NHK and the right to post a slogan on one of 14,000 official election billboards across the city.
While its purpose is to level the playing field for political participation, the system has been hijacked by those who wish to deliver potentially apolitical messages to large audiences.
At a campaign event broadcast on NHK, young entrepreneur Airi Uchino took off a striped shirt with ties to reveal her cleavage in a beige bandeau top. “I’m not just cute,” she whispered, inviting potential voters to contact her on Line, a popular Japanese messaging app. “I’m sexy, right?”
Ms. Uchino is backed by the NHK Protection People’s Party, a renegade group that supports nearly half of the gubernatorial candidates. The organization allows its candidates and some others to display campaign posters with photos of cats or cartoon animals on official election signs.
Some candidates used their air time to advance general opinions, such as opposing welfare for foreign workers in Japan or transgender rights.
The sheer number of candidates could stifle strong opposition. Jeffrey J. Hall, a political science lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies, said that with a ban on all paid advertising, “mainstream candidates cannot amplify their messages to the point where they drown out the voices of niche candidates.”
The damage is palpable. Ms Saito appears to be vying with 41-year-old Shinji Ishimaru for second place in the polls. .
Mr. Ishimaru does not offer much of a platform, but his popularity on TikTok and YouTube has helped him win over young voters.
Koichi Nakano, a political scientist at Sophia University in Tokyo, said such candidates represented Japan’s populism, adding that many “boring candidates”
Candidate” does not expect to win.
“Today is an infamous day,” Mr. Nakano said. “Having any kind of fame leads to more business opportunities.”
As someone trying to lead a serious challenge, Ms. Saito faces voters who are more disenchanted with the current governor than supportive of her.
University lecturer Yumi Matsushita, who attended one of Saito’s rallies in Chofu, said she didn’t like Koike’s “disrespect” for other races or the voices of LGBTQ people.
But her real objection to Yuriko Koike is that “the third term is too long.”
As the current president, Yuriko Koike maintains a big advantage: no previous incumbent has lost an election. She also benefited from a largely compliant news media. While the agency has delved into rumors that she lied about graduating from Cairo University, it has not investigated allegations that she favored developer Mitsui Fudosan in construction contracts.
One possible reason: Japan’s two largest newspapers, the Yomiuri Shimbun and the Asahi Shimbun, are investing in one of the construction projects.
River Davis and Hisako Ueno contributed reporting from Tokyo.
