The result of the Shizuoka gubernatorial election could be a bad omen for Prime Minister Taro Aso and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito. Mr. Heita Kawakatsu, 60, an economic history scholar, who was supported by the Democratic Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party, and People's New Party, nosed out Ms. Yukiko Sakamoto, 60, backed by the ruling coalition.
Against the backdrop of the Shizuoka victory, if the DPJ has a strong showing against the the ruling coalition in the July 12 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, the LDP could slip into chaos, followed by calls from within the party for Mr. Aso's resignation.
Mr. Kawakatsu defeated Ms. Sakamoto by a narrow margin (728,706 votes vs. 713,654). But it is a significant victory for the DPJ. It overcame a weakness it had from the start. Mr. Toru Unno, a former DPJ Upper House member, also ran, splitting the DPJ's support base. He got 332,952 votes. The DPJ managed to field Mr. Kawakatsu only about a month before election day.