Where did “hope” go…Too lonely “contents of cram school” of Tokyo Citizens First

“3,747 people” becomes “110 people. The “banquet hall of the hotel where the LDP party convention is held” becomes a “rental conference room in Nishi-Shinjuku. Where has that “enthusiasm” gone? ……

On January 29th, the local political party “Tomin First Association” (hereafter referred to as “Tomin Fa”) held the “First Political Economy School”. One of the aims of the school is to gather like-minded people who share the same aspirations as those of the TMNF and hold study sessions to eventually train them as candidates for the TMNF.

When Governor Yuriko Koike launched the “School of Hope,” a study group with the same meaning, in October 2016, more than 3,000 people applied to join the school. This time, however, there were only 110 participants. This time, however, only 110 people participated, and that was only remotely. The number of participants this time was 110, which was too small, even taking into account the fact that it was a corona disaster.

A total of five lectures are scheduled to be held until May. The first lecture will be given by Yuriko Koike, 69, Governor of Tokyo, who is a special advisor to the Tokyo Minpha.

The first lecture was given by Yuriko Koike, 69, governor of Tokyo and special advisor to the Tomin Fah, and she said, “I think people who wanted to take on a challenge have gathered here. I believe that people will be nurtured at the Sankei Juku and that Japan and Tokyo will be greatly reformed and continue to grow in a sustainable manner. I want to see the people who will be responsible for that.

But Koike is an expert at reading the winds of the times. But Koike, who is very good at reading the winds of the times, could not help but feel a sense of sadness at the small number of participants.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, of the 113 students who joined the school, about 30 were women. They come from Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa and are in their 20s to 70s. In addition to office workers and self-employed, local councilors also participate. The entrance fee is 30,000 yen (20,000 yen for those under 29), and it is calculated that about 3 million yen will be raised in total, but I worry that this level of “income” will be lost in necessary expenses such as venue rental fees and materials.

A member of the Tokyo Minfa (Tokyo Metropolitan People’s Party) said with a wry smile.

The “School of Hope” held in 2016 received a lot of media coverage because of its connection to the political situation, and generated about 168 million yen in revenue. The reason why there was a rush of nearly 4,000 people who wanted to enter the school was because at the time it was clear that if he could get the recommendation of Tominfa, he would be sure to win the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election ……. In other words, many people lined up for the winning lottery ticket. Even the 50,000 yen entrance fee would not have been too expensive if you consider the possibility of getting media attention and official recognition.

On the other hand, this year’s Seiji Keizai Juku was too lacking in excitement. Even though it was before the upper house election, the coverage of Tominwa was limited. Although Acting Representative Yu Ito is in charge and five or six members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly are helping to run the event, it cannot be said that the entire Tokyo Minfa is involved. At best, if we can find a candidate for next year’s local elections, it will be a blessing in disguise, but I don’t think we will be able to find anyone who can be a candidate for the Upper House election in the summer.

In the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election held in July 2009, Tominfa put up a good fight and garnered more than one million votes. However, perhaps due to the limitations of a regional party, those votes were lost to other parties in the House of Representatives election last fall. If they had been able to capture the votes, they might have been able to create their own national political party, which would have given them a foothold when Governor Koike decided to return to national politics.

The aforementioned member of the Tomin Fah continued.

A member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Democratic Party (TMDF) said, “We have already decided on the main flow of the merger with the KDP, but the details have not been worked out yet. Representative Chiharu Araki and Nobuko Irie, a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly (Minato Ward), have been mentioned as candidates for the Upper House election, but there are still many issues to be resolved, such as whether they can successfully divide their constituencies with those of the KDP. Even at this stage, there are voices within the Tominpa that say, ‘We should form a new conservative party in cooperation with The Japan Innovation Party, not the National Democratic Party,’ and the policy is still undecided.

Governor Koike is said to be taking a wait-and-see attitude toward TMNF’s entry into national politics. He may be assessing the political situation and preparing to take off whenever the wind blows.

But what will happen if the wind itself does not blow? Currently, the LDP is solid. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s soft personality has been well received, and his support for the government is high. On the other hand, the opposition parties continue to languish. If the election to the upper house of the Diet continues at this pace, it is clear that Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party will win, and a long-term government is in sight.

This summer, Koike will turn 70 years old. Last year, she often fell ill. She may only be able to serve one more term as governor of Tokyo. But looking at Ms. Koike now, I think she is exploring various options out of parental love so that the members of Tomin Fah will not be left in the lurch when she leaves the political scene. ...I can see that he is exploring various options out of parental love so that the Tomin Fah members will not be left in the lurch when he leaves politics.

Even under such circumstances, the more than one hundred “students” who gathered here can be said to have a great deal of determination and enthusiasm. If there is a “future star of Tomin Fah” among them, hope may still be alive…?