Tokyo Assembly Election Heats Up: LDP Struggles to Avoid Major Defeat Amid Lingering Scandal

The Secret Funds Scandal Loses Momentum

Tokyo Assembly Election: LDP Avoids Major Defeat as Secret Funds Scandal Fades

The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, scheduled for official announcement on June 13 and voting on June 22, was initially expected to be a disaster for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) faction due to the political funds scandal. However, an unexpected tailwind now seems to be favoring them.

A senior official from Tomin First no Kai expressed surprise:

“At first, the focus was on how badly the LDP would lose and which party would gain their lost seats. In particular, the new party ‘Path to Revival’ launched by Shinji Ishimaru (42), who placed second in last year’s gubernatorial race, was aiming to field candidates in all districts, making other parties wary.”

However, recent events have diverted attention from the LDP’s secret funds scandal. The most significant factor was that news coverage of Fuji TV and Masahiro Nakai (52), a former SMAP member, coincided with the announcement of penalties for LDP Tokyo Assembly members involved in the scandal.

On January 24, only the Tokyo Shimbun had the LDP’s secret funds scandal on its front page, while other major newspapers led with Nakai’s retirement from showbiz instead. Unlike the National Diet, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly lacks an ethics committee, meaning there were no public explanations or accountability hearings, making it even easier for the issue to fade.

Light Punishments and No Criminal Charges for LDP Assembly Members

Although the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office investigated, just like in the national scandal, the details of who ordered the undisclosed funds and how remain unknown.

In the end, only Hidetakatsu Yajima (72), the treasurer of the LDP Tokyo Assembly faction, was penalized. He received a three-year ban from public office and a ¥1 million fine, but since he was merely a staff member and not running for election, the fine was essentially the only consequence.

Among the 30 current LDP Tokyo Assembly members, 16 had unreported funds, yet none were indicted. A political journalist covering Tokyo’s government explained:

“At the national level, only lawmakers with over ¥40 million in unreported funds were prosecuted. In comparison, the amounts in the Tokyo Assembly scandal ranged from a maximum of ¥3.32 million (Masahiko Miyake, 4th term, Island District) to a minimum of ¥100,000 (Takumi Motohashi, 1st term, North Tama)—significantly lower. Since no assembly members were indicted, the LDP’s Tokyo branch breathed a sigh of relief.”

Within the LDP Tokyo Assembly faction, Speaker Satoshi Udagawa (60) resigned, and six former secretaries-general were denied party endorsement for the upcoming election, forcing them to run as independents. However, these were the only disciplinary measures against members.

Frustrated by what they saw as lenient punishments, Komeito’s Tokyo Assembly faction decided to withdraw support for all LDP candidates in the upcoming election.