<figure id="attachment_370568" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-370568" style="width: 811px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="dcb98d69"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/b56846f874db60e081b5617142eb2db2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-370568" class="wp-caption-text">Kawakatsu Resigns, Taking Responsibility for Inappropriate Comments</figcaption></figure>
<p> In his instruction to new employees, he said, <span class="strongInContent">&#8220;In other words, the prefectural government is a think tank. Unlike selling vegetables every day or taking care of cows or making things, you are basically people with brains and intellect</span>.</p>
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<p> The prefectural government was inundated with complaints in response to the comment. Wide shows covered the issue of the Linear Line project every day. Amidst this confusion, the Shizuoka Prefecture gubernatorial election will be held on May 26. The various camps were heard lamenting the lack of time for preparation. A local reporter explained.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> At first, Shu Watanabe, 62, a member of the House of Representatives from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Katsuya Haruha, 57, a member of the House of Councillors from the People&#8217;s Democratic Party of Japan, were discussed as running for governor. There was also a lot of attention on how Goshi Hosono (52), a member of the House of Representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), might make his move. However, both Mr. Zhou and Ms. Haiga wanted to raise their hands, but they felt it would be unprofitable for them to do so, considering the short preparation period and their position within the party. In the end, Shinichi Omura, 60, former vice governor of Shizuoka, supported by the Shizuoka Prefectural Federation of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Yasutomo Suzuki, 66, former mayor of Hamamatsu City, supported by the Constitutional Democratic Party and the People&#8217;s Democratic Party, announced their candidacies, but Yasutomo Suzuki, supported by Osamu Suzuki, 94, advisor to automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation and a Hamamatsu business don, is ahead.</span></p>
<p> According to a source within the prefecture, the ruling and opposition parties are engaged in a &#8220;political battle&#8221; involving the media over the giant project of the linear rail line. A source within the Shizuoka Liberal Democratic Party said, &#8220;Linear railways are a major issue for Shinzo Abe, Shinzo Abe&#8217;s father.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The linear rail project was the brainchild of former JR Tokai Chairman Takayuki Kasai, who was a close friend of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The total construction cost is said to be 9 trillion yen.</span><span class="strongInContent"> The LDP&#8217;s presence in the prefecture has been weakened by the linear project, and there are those who have been eager to &#8220;bring down Kawakatsu. The Shizuoka Liberal Democratic Party is not necessarily a monolithic party, as there are differences of opinion between the Shizuoka and Hamamatsu blocs. The scandals of Tadashi Shiotani, 74, a member of the House of Representatives, who has a slush fund problem, and Hiroyuki Miyazawa, 49, a member of the House of Representatives, who is suspected of engaging in daddy-daughter activities, have also dealt a blow to the local business community.</span></p>
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<p> How is the linear issue being perceived in the local business community? In Hamamatsu, the largest economic zone in Shizuoka Prefecture, where major companies such as Suzuki and Yamaha are concentrated, we heard the following opinion: &#8220;The Linear Linear issue is &#8216;a problem for the people of the prefecture.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> In Hamamatsu, the largest economic center in Shizuoka, where major companies such as Suzuki and Yamaha are located, the following comment was heard: &#8220;The linear project has been criticized only for Governor Kawakatsu&#8217;s comment that &#8216;the life or death of the people of the prefecture is at stake,&#8217; but JR Tokai&#8217;s response has been poor. In fact, many people in Shizuoka Prefecture are displeased with JR Tokai&#8217;s behavior of blaming Shizuoka Prefecture for the delay in the construction schedule.</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Scheduled opening pushed back even further"></div>
<figure id="attachment_370571" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-370571" style="width: 683px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="fd097a2c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/04/0c0dd42d077a36f6651b6b72a6fadc7f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-370571" class="wp-caption-text">Hiroyuki Miyazawa, who was reportedly involved in daddy-daddy scandals, was running in Shizuoka&#8217;s 3rd district.</figcaption></figure>
<p> After Governor Kawakatsu&#8217;s resignation, JR Tokai held a press conference and announced that <span class="strongInContent">construction would not be completed in time by &#8217;27, the original opening</span> date. Questions were raised in the local business community.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> JR Tokai President Shunsuke Niwa had previously attributed the delayed opening to problems in Shizuoka, saying, &#8220;There is no other place like the Shizuoka construction area, and the delay in the Shizuoka construction area is directly related to the delay in the opening.&#8221; However, as soon as former Governor Kawakatsu resigned, he announced that &#8220;construction in the Yamanashi and Nagano construction zones has also been delayed. He even said that there were sections where construction had not even begun, but this is not possible in the usual sense. In the first place, Shizuoka weighs the economic benefits of the opening of the Linear Line against the lives and industries of the residents of the prefecture, and if the environment is favorable, they will proceed with the construction work. I am angry that they are being treated as a bad guy even though I am not necessarily against it.</span></p>
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<p> Although Shizuoka has been on the right side of the Linear Line issue, some believe that the Linear Line will not be an issue in the upcoming prefectural gubernatorial election. A reporter for a local newspaper explains.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The last election was won by Mr. Kawakatsu, who made the election a contest between Mr. Kawakatsu, who is committed to &#8220;protecting the safety of the people of the prefecture,&#8221; and the LDP, which is pro-Linear Linear project,&#8221; but this time both candidates, Mr. Omura and Mr. Suzuki, have expressed their intention to &#8220;promote the Linear project while also protecting the environment. Both candidates, Mr. Omura and Mr. Suzuki, have expressed their intention to &#8220;promote the Linear project while also protecting the environment. Regardless of who wins, the construction work will proceed. However, the fact remains that there will be no Linear station in Shizuoka, and the prefecture will not benefit.</span></p>
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<p> Shizuoka Prefecture residents are still intensely allergic to the Linear Linear project, and there is even a signature drive calling for former Governor Kawakatsu to run again. Will the new governor&#8217;s inauguration accelerate the linear construction, which has left the wishes of the prefecture&#8217;s residents and local businesses behind?</p>


 Kyodo News

 Heita Kawakatsu, the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, resigned due to inappropriate remarks. However, his resignation has triggered an outbreak of problems regarding the Linear Line construction project in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Governor Heita Kawakatsu&#8217;s Resignation Causes Further Chaos&#8230; &#8220;Linear Construction&#8221; Real Intentions and Pretensions Revealed in Shizuoka Prefecture

Governor Heita Kawakatsu’s Resignation Causes Further Chaos… “Linear Construction” Real Intentions and Pretensions Revealed in Shizuoka Prefecture

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