A new political party led by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is floating populist slogans such as ending nuclear power and freezing a sales tax hike ahead of a general election next month, but voters may find few other big policy gaps with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP…
A new political party led by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is floating populist slogans such as ending nuclear power and freezing a sales tax hike ahead of a general election next month, but voters may find few other big policy gaps with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Koike’s Party of Hope, formally launched on Wednesday with a slick promotion video and news conference, could attract voters who feel Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has become complacent, even arrogant, after nearly five years in office.
The new party adds more uncertainty to the election.
Abe’s LDP-led coalition is unlikely to lose its grip on power, but a weak showing would erode Abe’s clout, make policy initiatives harder and jeopardise his hopes of becoming Japan’s longest-serving premier.
« There’s not much daylight between Koike’s party and the LDP, » said Gerry Curtis, professor emeritus at Columbia University in New York. « It’s a question of who can impress the voters as more competent. It’s competence and it’s character. »
The Party of Hope shares policy space with both the conservative, business-friendly LDP and the right wing of the main opposition Democratic Party, an often fractious mix of conservatives and liberals.
The Democrats are struggling with defections to the new party and single-digit ratings.
Media reports said Koike and the Democrats’ leader were discussing a merger or tie-up, though the outlook was murky – and some political analysts suggest Koike might opt to ally with the LDP instead after the election, given their policy similarities.
