Tokyo Gov. Yukio Aoshima said July 7 it came as no surprise that the Liberal Democratic Party and Japanese Communist Party emerged as winners in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election July 6.
"From last year's general elections, it became apparent that long-established parties such as the LDP and JCP do better than new parties, and the results of this election bear that out," Aoshima said. He said it is up to him and other political leaders to appeal to the 60 percent of the people who did not vote to participate in future elections.
"I have responsibility and so do the various parties. We must reach out to the people of Tokyo and make politics pertinent to them," Aoshima said. He said he will examine items such as the metropolitan budget and welfare programs for senior citizens in light of the JCP victory. The JCP campaigned on those issues.
Aoshima said the poll results should not have any bearing on the next Tokyo gubernatorial election, scheduled two years from now. "The metropolitan assembly elections and the gubernatorial elections are different things," he said.
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