Instead, they were merely frightened of swing voters, and did not make fundamental changes. They tried to soften party distinctions, frantically searching for well-known candidates and putting a higher priority on party interests than on policies. In Osaka Prefecture, where no parties other than the Japan Communist Party fielded candidates, a number of party-backed prefectural assembly candidates sought support from incumbent Gov. Yokoyama Knock, even though the parties had initially planned to field candidates for the gubernatorial race. Policies were not discussed in the election. The unified local elections made it clear that parties have lost sight of their purpose.
Local governments face extremely tough problems.
Their outstanding long-term debt, which totaled 166 trillion yen in fiscal 1998, is expected to reach 176 trillion yen by the end of fiscal 1999. The first round of unified local elections Sunday should have focused on what measures to take to solve the nation's worst financial crisis ever and to prepare for the 21st century. With these complicated problems, the elections should have served to clarify individual policies, allow voters to reject vested interests and initiate public debate. During the campaigns, however, we heard pleasant slogans designed to placate voters.