In a district especially disillusioned with boys' club politics, candidates in the Tokyo 15th district by-election are striving to prove themselves as anything but the usual politician. The constituents — haunted by the memories of a political misconduct scandal involving their previous representative, combined with a slush funds scandal that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party found itself embroiled in — are looking for a breath of fresh air, resulting in a rare and unusual sight for Japan: a female-driven election.
While the high-stakes competition to fill the scandal-tainted seat in parliament to represent Tokyo's southern Koto Ward rages on with much emphasis put on issues related to education and child-rearing, one name stands out.
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP)’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, is in the lead so far, according to mid-term media surveys. She is receiving a very strong push from her party, with various CDP politicians rushing to back her up and campaign alongside her as she makes her way through the district.
The 37-year-old mother of one, who has served two terms as a member of the local ward assembly but lost in the district’s mayoral election last year, has a success story of her own, being a survivor of cervical cancer at the age of 28. Sakai stresses that that experience, combined with her 12-year career as a midwife, has prepared her for various challenges.
“Being a midwife is a job that on a daily basis confronts health issues faced by women — some experience infertility, miscarriages, others have experience domestic abuse, sexual assault — and I’ve stood by them,” Sakai said in the rain before a stream of commuters making their way home from Minami-Sunamachi Station. Some of them — many of them women — stopped to shake her hand.
“Because I worked in the forefront of where life (is made), I can do politics that moves not with money, but values people's lives — there are 700 politicians in parliament but there is not single current member who has a license as a midwife.”
Running for the seat while raising a daughter in the first grade, she is hoping to give voice to mothers and aspiring mothers in parliament, making work-life balance one of her core causes. This appears to be resonating among constituents.
“The fact that she has a female perspective and that she is of the child-rearing demographic — I think it just comes down to those two factors,” a woman in her 30s said. As a mother herself, she said she is an avid supporter of Sakai and feels that it takes someone with a background like hers to implement real change in government.
Another front-runner is Nippon Ishin no Kai’s Yui Kanazawa, a relatively young, 33-year-old newcomer.
“I come from a background of having worked at a regular company and am continuing to pay back my student loans — it's hard for someone from a normal household like mine to become a politician,” she said from atop her campaign car at Kameido Station.
“Don’t you feel that people in politics right now are not listening to what we have to say? There have been times I’ve given up on politics because I felt that (the people in power) have very different perspectives from me — but please don’t give up on politics.”
Kanazawa hopes her loyalty to the district will give her a competitive edge. Despite losing the last run for the same seat in 2021 by a small margin, she has continued to work hard to win the community's trust over the past five years by not running for any other elections, including last year’s district mayoral election.
She is making tuition-free education one of her core causes, touting it as a way to slow declining birthrates. Among her campaign promises, she pledges to push the government into digitalizing more of its functions to increase efficiency and make them more accessible to the younger generation.
And younger constituents are listening.
“First and foremost, Kanazawa is young — (all the politicians) up until now have been old men and they’re hard to talk to and resonate with, but she’s not,” a female supporter in her early 30s said at a rally. “It must have been tough for her jumping into new territory but she’s new and fresh — that’s the most important (for our future).”
Despite not running for the seat herself, Tokyo’s current governor, Yuriko Koike, has a visible presence in the election. She and her party, First no Kai, are throwing their full support behind independent candidate Hirotada Ototake.
The 48-year-old former teacher and best-selling author, well known among many for his unique birth condition that left him limbless, is acting almost like Koike’s stand-in. Koto Ward's female mayor Tomoka Okubo is also in his corner.
Given his personal experience of living with a severe disability, Ototake says he will be able to bring a unique perspective to parliament, pledging inclusive policies such as handicap-accessible evacuation methods in times of natural disasters.
“An inclusive society means no one is left behind — but currently, there are a lot of people who are left behind. In fact, I’d say most people are left behind because politics right now is conducted only (to benefit) a specific group of people,” Ototake said in his campaign speech. “I want to do politics that roots for the lives of each and every one of the people.”
Having previously worked as an elementary school teacher, Ototake also puts a lot of emphasis on ensuring education equality for all children by having the government invest more in education. His manifesto includes promises of subsidizing education up until college and free lunches in elementary and middle schools.
They are trailed by the Conservative Party of Japan's Akari Iiyama, 48, and independent Genki Sudo, a 46-year-old former martial artist. Other candidates are Sanseitō's Rina Yoshikawa, 36, independent Tsukasa Akimoto, 52, as well as Ryosuke Nemoto, 29, and Katsuya Fukunaga, 43, who represent smaller parties.
Polling day is scheduled for Sunday, with early voting having started since last Wednesday.
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