The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election on July 6 is widely seen as the most important vote of the year, but it is not only a battlefield for the nation's largest parties.
The poll, held once every four years, is a great opportunity for small parties to make their presence and policies known to residents of the capital. However, many of them are facing an uphill struggle given their small campaign-support organizations and lack of major media coverage.
Seikatsu-Sha Network is a party formed and supported by various consumers' cooperatives in Tokyo and perhaps the most active, successful smaller party in the capital. The network is fielding eight candidates, its largest number yet, in constituencies such as Setagaya, Suginami, Minami-Tama and Fuchu. All the candidates are women.