TOKYO (Reuters) – A fledgling conservative party led by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is gaining traction in its challenge to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc ahead of a general election next month, media polls released on Thursday showed. Original Article </s> TOKYO A fledgling party led by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike gained momentum yesterday ahead of an Oct 22 election.

This comes after the biggest opposition Democratic Party said it would step aside to let its candidates run under her conservative, reformist banner.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a conservative who returned to power in 2012, hopes a recent boost in voter support will help his Liberal Democratic Party-led (LDP) coalition maintain a simple majority.

But Ms Koike's new Party of Hope, formally launched only on Wednesday, has upended the outlook for the election after the former LDP member said she would lead it herself.

A media-savvy former defence minister whose name has been bandied about as Japan's first female prime minister, Ms Koike said she would not run for a seat, although speculation persists that she will.

Democratic Party executives said they would not run candidates of their own and would let members run under the Party of Hope banner.

A survey by the Mainichi newspaper showed 18 per cent of voters plan to vote for Ms Koike's party, compared to 29 per cent for LDP.

An Asahi newspaper poll showed 13 per cent planned to vote for her party, versus 32 per cent for the LDP. </s> TOKYO: A fledgling conservative party led by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is gaining traction in its challenge to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc in a general election next month, two media polls released on Thursday (Sep 28) showed.

A survey by the Mainichi newspaper showed 18 percent of voters plan to vote for Koike's Party of Hope compared to 29 percent for Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

An Asahi newspaper poll showed 13 percent planned to vote for Koike's party versus 32 percent for the LDP. Both surveys asked voters their preference for proportional representation districts where ballots are cast for parties rather than specific candidates.

The polls come ahead of Thursday's dissolution of parliament's lower house for an election expected on Oct. 22.

Koike's new party was only formally launched on Wednesday and has upended the outlook for the election after Koike announced this week she would lead it herself.

Japan's main opposition Democratic Party now looks in danger of being absorbed by the Party of Hope.

Abe, who took office in December 2012, is calling the election in the hope of keeping his LDP-led coalition's majority in the lower house, where it now has a two-thirds "super majority". </s> Tokyo governor Koike vows break from the past with new party

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike delivers her speech during an inauguration press conference on her new political party, 'Party of Hope', in Tokyo on September 27, 2017. — AFP picTOKYO, Sept 27 — Popular Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike this morning vowed a break with old-school politics as she unveiled a new party she hopes will shake up the upcoming snap election in Japan.

Pledging to bring back “hope” to the Japanese people, she said she was launching the party to “reset Japan.”

“Now is the time for us to carry out reforms that are un-tied to” vested interests, Koike told a nationally televised news conference.

Koike lamented that Japanese firms had lost their former glory, complaining that Chinese and American companies, like Amazon and Apple, “have become number one”.

“The snap election is a chance to change,” said the 65-year-old former anchorwoman, accusing the ruling conservative LDP party of being too hesitant in its reform programme.

Most commentators say Koike’s new party, called the “Party of Hope”, will not have enough time to mount a serious nationwide challenge to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before elections widely expected on October 22.

Abe called a snap election yesterday, hoping to capitalise on a weak and fractured opposition as well as a recent bump in the polls due to voter approval of his hard line on North Korea.

Surveys put him a long way of his nearest rivals but Yoel Sano, Head of Global Political and Security Risk at BMI Research, said Koike’s entry into the fray was a “major wild card”.

Voters may view Abe’s snap election as a “cynical and opportunistic move, especially given the severity of the North Korean crisis, which does not need the ‘distraction’ of an early election”, said Sano.

Koike said a “political vacuum” had been created by Abe’s decision to call an election at a time when tensions over North Korea are at fever pitch.

Elected governor of Tokyo a year ago, Koike has already begun pulling disillusioned opposition lawmakers into her powerful orbit amid rumours that she could bring the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, into the fold.

She reportedly held talks with Seiji Maehara, a former foreign minister and leader of the largest opposition party, with a view to possibly joining forces.

Maehara’s struggling party, which changed name from the DPJ after a smaller opposition group joined it in March last year, has already suffered more than a dozen defectors, several of them to Koike’s party. — AFP </s> Japan’s prime minister, Shinzō Abe, faces a serious challenge from an ally turned nemesis, as voters prepare to go to the polls next month in an election he has described as a verdict on his handling of the economy and North Korea.



Abe dissolved the lower house of parliament on Thursday, with polls showing that a new conservative party formed by the popular governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, making ground on his ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP).

Koike’s Party of Hope, formed only a day earlier, has pledged to be a “tolerant, conservative reform party” that will challenge vested interests and respect diversity.

Koike, a former news anchor who speaks English and Arabic, has cast herself as a conservative populist, determined to take on the political old guard, since she became Tokyo’s first female governor last year.

“If at this time we don’t reset Japan, we won’t be able to sufficiently protect our international competitiveness and national security,” Koike said at her party’s official launch.

Abe called the election – a year earlier than expected – in an attempt to exploit a weak and divided opposition and to secure a mandate for his spending plans and tough line against Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programmes.

Koike, who served as defence minister during Abe’s first term as prime minister a decade ago, has said she will not run in the election but will stay on as governor to oversee preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

But her decision to lead the new party, coupled with her positive media profile, could frustrate Abe’s plans by attracting conservative and undecided voters.

Opinion polls showed the Party of Hope closing the gap on the ruling party, despite signs that Abe has emerged relatively unscathed from two summer scandals that dragged his support to the lowest levels since he became prime minister in late 2012.

A survey by the Mainichi newspaper found 18% of respondents would vote for Hope compared with 29% for the Abe’s party. Another poll by the Asahi newspaper put Koike’s party on 13% and the LDP on 32%.

The Party of Hope’s emergence on the national political scene has thrown the main opposition party, the Democrats, into turmoil. Several Democrat MPs have defected to Koike’s party, while its leader, Seiji Maehara, is reportedly considering allowing Democrats to run as Hope candidates.

While the LDP is expected to win, a strong challenge from the centre-right could cost it precious seats in the powerful lower house.

The LDP and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, have the two-thirds majority in both houses Abe needs to push ahead with his plans to rewrite Japan’s pacifist constitution.

Failure to retain his party’s super majority would in effect end the prospects for constitutional reform – a project to which Abe has devoted his entire political career.

Yoel Sano, head of global political and security risk at BMI Research in Tokyo, said Abe’s gamble could backfire if voters see the snap election as a grab for power.

“The Japanese public may view it as a cynical and opportunistic move, especially given the severity of the North Korean crisis,” Sano said.

Koike, who has long been tipped to become Japan’s first female prime minister, defied the LDP to successfully run for the Tokyo governorship last year. In July, the local forerunner to her party crushed the LDP in the Tokyo assembly elections, fuelling speculation that she would challenge the ruling party in national elections.

Some analysts said Abe was unlikely to suffer the same fate as the British prime minister, Theresa May, who called a snap election in the spring only to see her Conservative party lose its majority in the House of Commons.

“Unlike in Britain with Labour, there is no opposition worthy of the name in Japan,” said Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University in Tokyo. “The LDP is a giant among dwarves. It would take a major scandal to derail the Abe express.

“He may not retain his super majority but given the fractured and unprepared state of Japan’s opposition parties, it’s hard to see much risk to a commanding majority.”

Abe and Koike are business-friendly conservatives and hawkish on security, but they differ in two areas that could have a bearing on the election.

While Abe is committed to a sales tax rise in 2019 he says is needed to fund spending on education and nursing care for the elderly, Koike has called for a freeze on the tax.

Koike has also called for Japan to abandon nuclear power after the 2011 Fukushima meltdown; Abe supports reactor restarts.

“There’s not much daylight between Koike’s party and the LDP,” said Gerry Curtis, professor emeritus at Columbia University. “It’s a question of who can impress the voters as more competent. It’s competence and it’s character.” </s> Tokyo — Japan’s lower house was dissolved on Thursday ahead of an expected snap October 22 election being called by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as he seeks to confirm his mandate in the face a rising challenge from a popular new conservative party.

Abe, a conservative who returned to power in 2012, hopes a boost in his voter support in recent months will help his Liberal Democratic Party-led (LDP) coalition maintain a simple majority. It currently holds a two-thirds "super" majority.

A number of opposition legislators boycotted the session at which the lower house was dissolved in protest at Abe calling the election and creating a potential political vacuum at a time when tension is high with North Korea.

"This will be a tough battle, but it’s all about how we will protect Japan, and the lives and peaceful existence of the Japanese people," Abe told a group of legislators.

Popular Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike’s new Party of Hope — only formally launched on Wednesday — has upended the election outlook after she announced she would lead the group herself.

Koike, a media-savvy former LDP legislator and defence minister often floated as a candidate to become Japan’s first female prime minister, said on Wednesday she would not run for a seat herself, but speculation that she will persists.

A survey by the Mainichi newspaper showed 18% of voters plan to vote for Koike’s Party of Hope compared with 29% for Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

An Asahi newspaper poll showed 13% planned to vote for Koike’s party versus 32% for the LDP. Both surveys asked voters their preference for proportional representation districts where ballots are cast for parties rather than specific candidates.

Abe’s personal ratings have risen to around 50% from around 30% in July, partly on the back of his leadership during the current North Korea crisis.

The emergence of Koike’s party — which she describes as pro-reform and conservative — has thrown the main opposition Democratic Party into turmoil. The Democrats are struggling with defections and single-digit ratings and now appear in danger of being absorbed by the Party of Hope.

Democratic Party leader Seiji Maehara would propose that the party run no candidates in the election and let its members run under the Party of Hope flag, domestic media reports said.

The proposal could end up splitting the party, an often fractious mix of conservatives and liberals whose rocky 2009-2012 reign tainted its image with many voters.

Koike defied the LDP to run successfully for Tokyo governor last year and her novice local party then crushed the LDP in a metropolitan assembly election in July.

Her Party of Hope shares policy space with the business-friendly LDP, but Koike has staked out different stances on two issues likely to appeal to voters.

She wants to freeze a planned rise in the national sales tax to 10% from 8% in 2019. Abe says he will raise the tax but spend more revenue on child care and education instead of paying back public debt.

Koike is also calling for Japan to abandon nuclear power, while Abe’s government plans to keep atomic power as a key part of the energy mix despite public worries about safety after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Koike has also criticised Abe for risking a political vacuum by calling the snap poll at a time of rising regional tension over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.

Recent reforms will reduce the number of lower house seats to 465 from 475 in the coming election. </s> A Japanese party being launched by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is in merger talks with the main opposition Democratic Party, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday, adding uncertainty to the outlook for a general election next month.

TOKYO: Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike on Wednesday formally launched a new party promising conservative reform, stepping up her challenge to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and adding to uncertainty about the outlook for a general election widely expected next month.

But the popular former ruling party lawmaker, who is already upstaging Abe in the media and complicating forecasts, said she herself would not seek a seat in parliament's lower house now.

Abe said on Monday he would call the snap election to reset his mandate, betting that his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and junior coalition party can keep their majority in parliament's lower house, where they hold a two-thirds "super majority".

Abe will dissolve the lower house on Thursday for a vote expected on Oct. 22.

At a news conference launching her "Party of Hope," Koike repeated promises to form a party without ties to vested interests in order to "reset Japan."

"If at this time we don't reset Japan, we won't be able to sufficiently protect our international competitiveness and national security," said Koike, a former defence minister who quit the LDP earlier this year.

There had been speculation that Koike would choose to run in the election herself, but she said she would remain in her position as governor.

Koike's new party is staking out a policy space similar to that of the conservative LDP and the right-wing of the main opposition Democratic Party, a mixture of conservatives and liberals.

But her calls for open government, a freeze on a planned sales tax hike from 2019, an end to nuclear power and a promise to promote diversity give it a more populist tinge.

The Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday that Koike's party was in merger talks with the Democrats and she had met with Democratic Party leader Seiji Maehara on Tuesday for discussions, but Koike made no reference to the issue.

The Nikkei said prospects for a merger were uncertain, since Koike has suggested she was not keen and the move could trigger a split in the Democratic Party. The party has been struggling with single-digit support rates and several members have defected to run for Koike's new party.

The Democrats have also been in talks with the Japanese Communist Party about cooperating to run unified candidates but conservatives, including Maehara, are wary of that strategy.

Koike, 65, defied the LDP to run successfully for the Tokyo governorship a year ago and fielded candidates who routed the LDP in an election for the metropolitan assembly in July.

Koike has said she aimed to push reformist policies, open government and an end to reliance on nuclear power.

She has also called for a freeze on a plan to raise the national sales tax to 10 percent from 8 percent in 2019. Abe said he would go ahead with the tax hike and spend some of the revenue on education and child care.

Abe's decision to go to the polls is seen as an effort to take advantage of confusion in the opposition camp and an uptick in his support rates, which have rebounded to around 50 percent amid jitters over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

His support had fallen below 30 percent in July due to suspected cronyism scandals. </s> Yuriko Koike is the current Governor of Tokyo and quite possibly the most interesting thing to happen in Japanese politics in years.

For a start — she's a woman! (Japan doesn't do so well in this department).

Now, she is set to reshape national politics with the formation of a new party and a new attack on the status quo.

In her party's first publicity video she is seen walking past the male old-guard of Japanese politics towards a light.

The slogans read: Do we endure or do we all change this?

On Monday, in the hours before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his intention to dissolve parliament and send the country to the polls, Ms Koike stole the limelight by announcing the name of the cute baby panda born at a Tokyo zoo in June.

Her name is Xiang Xiang, Governor Koike said, adding "this name evokes the idea of fragrance — and it's extremely cute".

People across Japan gushed as the press conference was beamed live across television screens.

Now that she had our attention, Ms Koike had one more thing to add — she had formed a new political party called "Party of Hope".

At first, the party was considered to be merely a slight disruption to Mr Abe's plans to gain a third term in office.

When the ABC asked Tobias Harris, a Japan analyst for Teneo Intelligence and Economy what impact she might have on the election, he said: "Her party looks increasingly capable of gaining at the LDP's [Mr Abe's party's] expense."

But there are whispers Ms Koike may merge her new party with the Democratic Party — the main opposition party in Japan — and present herself as an alternative Prime Minister.

This would mean she would have to step aside from her role as the Governor of Tokyo and nominate for a seat in the lower house of parliament.

If the merger were to take place, this election, which was otherwise going to be about men in dark suits talking about North Korea, could become very interesting.

Governor Koike is making all the right noises for a party platform that might appeal to the disaffected.

On Wednesday, Ms Koike said she would not resign as Tokyo Governor to run for a seat in the lower house.

But we all know that a few hours is a long time in politics, right? </s> Japan’s main opposition Democratic Party has offered its “full support” to Yuriko Koike’s new political party, adding momentum to the Tokyo governor’s challenge to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in next month’s general election. The DP leadership in a statement on Thursday said it would not field any candidates in the October 22 poll and would allow its members to run under Koike’s Party of Hope banner. Abe on Thursday dissolved parliament’s lower house for an election taking advantage of a fractious DP which has been wrought by internal strife over policy. (Reuters)
Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike establishes the conservative Kibō no Tō (Party of Hope) to contest the upcoming election although she will neither lead it nor run.