LDP Suffers Record Loss in Tokyo Assembly Election, Tokyoites First Gains Ground

On June 22, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) experienced a significant setback in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election. The party, led by Shinji Inoue, saw a record-setting loss, while the regional party Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First) regained its position as the leading party.

Prior to the election, the LDP held the most seats in the assembly, with 30 seats. However, after the election, with all 127 assembly seats up for grabs, the party secured only 21 seats. This was a decrease from its previous record low of 23 seats in the 2017 election. Tokyoites First, advised by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, increased its seat count to 31, up from 26 before the election. Voter turnout saw an increase, reaching 47.59 percent compared to the previous election's 42.39 percent.

The election was viewed as a potential indicator for the upcoming Upper House election in July. The LDP's struggles were partly attributed to a scandal involving unreported political funds, which had previously impacted the party in the Lower House election. Public anger over similar funding misconduct among LDP assembly members in Tokyo also contributed to the party's difficulties. As a consequence, the LDP withheld official endorsements for six members who had served as secretary-general of the party's parliamentary group in the Tokyo assembly.

The election also marked a change for Komeito, the LDP's junior coalition partner. Despite aiming for a ninth consecutive victory by running for only 22 seats, three of its candidates lost, reducing Komeito's assembly strength to 19 seats. Komeito had emphasized its collaboration with Koike during the campaign, a strategy also supported by the LDP.

Before the campaign, Tokyoites First, the LDP, and Komeito held a majority of 64 seats in the assembly, supporting Koike. The Democratic Party for the People, which won nine seats, is also expected to support the Koike administration, ensuring a majority favoring the governor. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party criticized the Koike administration and the LDP's funding scandals. While the CDP increased its seats, the JCP saw a decline. The Sanseito party won its first seat, while Path to Rebirth, a new regional party, failed to secure any seats.