2023 Wakayama 1st district by-election was held on 23 April 2023 because Shuhei Kishimoto resigned as a member of the House of Representatives.
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Wakayama 1st district | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnout | 44.11% ( 11.05 pp) | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Background
[edit]Shuhei Kishimoto, member of the Democratic Party, kept a seat in t this constituency, since he defeated the incumbent LDP member of Wakayama 1st district in the 2009 regime change. [1] Kishimoto belonged to the Democratic Party For the People as of 2022 after passing the Kibō no Tō from the Democratic Party. However, Kishimoto announced his candidacy for 2022 Wakayama Prefecture gubernatorial election and left the DPFP and resigned as a member of the House of Representatives.[2][3]
Following Kishimoto's resignation, a by-election will be held on April 23, 2023. The Democratic Party For the People Kishimoto had belonged to did not field a candidate. Instead, the Nippon Ishin no Kai, which aims to expand its influence in the Kansai region, nominated Yumi Hayashi, a member of the Wakayama city Council, as a candidate.[4][5] On the other hand, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party tried to nominate Yōsuke Tsuruho, a member of the House of Councillors from Wakayama at-large district, but failed. Eventually, the LDP nominated Hirofumi Kado, a former member of the House of Representatives elected by the Kinki proportional representation block, who had lost to Kishimoto four times in the Wakayama 1st district.[6][7][5]
Candidates
[edit]| Name | Age | Party | Career | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hirofumi Kado | 57 | Liberal Democratic | Member of the House of Representatives (2012-2021) | |
| Yumi Hayashi | 41 | Ishin | Member of the Wakayama city Council (2022-2023) | |
| Hideaki Kunishige | 62 | Communist (supported by SDP) |
Standing Committee Member of the Wakayama Prefectural Committee of the Japanese Communist Party | |
| Takahira Yamamoto | 48 | Seijika Joshi | A former logistics company employee | |
Campaign
[edit]Kishimoto, who won Wakayama Prefecture gubernatorial election and became governor of Wakayama Prefecture, supported Kado, a rival who had competed for a seat in the constituency.[8][9][10]
Hiroshi Moriyama, who is the Chairperson of the LDP Election Strategy Committee and conscious of Isin which is based in Osaka, said, "It is the people of Wakayama who decide about Wakayama. I won't let Osaka decide."[9] The LDP placed importance on the by-election, and big-name lawmakers, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, rushed to support Kado.[11][12][13][14] On the other hand, the Ishin also sent executives to strengthen Hayashi's support. Nobuyuki Baba, the leader of the Ishin, and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura, popular in the Kansai region, rushed to cheer for her many times.[13][14]
At the end of the election campaign, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who tries to approach her old home, the LDP, rushed to cheer for Kado.[14] Referring to Moriyama's remarks, Baba, the leader of the Restoration Party, ridiculed Koike's support, saying, "The slogan is 'It's the people of Wakayama who decide about Wakayama.' Why is there a woman from Tokyo?"[15]
During the election campaign, Kishida, who rushed to cheer for him, was thrown explosives by a man. No one was killed and the man was arrested by the police. [16]
Result
[edit]Hayashi defeated Kado by 6,000 votes to win the election for the first time. [17][18][14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ishin | Yumi Hayashi | 61,720 | 47.47% | New | |
| Liberal Democratic | Hirofumi Kado | 55,657 | 42.80% | +5.53 | |
| Communist | Hideaki Kunishige | 11,178 | 8.60% | N/A | |
| Seijika Joshi | Takahira Yamamoto | 1,476 | 1.13% | New | |
| Majority | 6,063 | 4.67% | |||
| Total votes | 130,031 | 100.00% | |||
| Ishin gain from Democratic For the People | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ "2009年総選挙 小選挙区開票結果 和歌山１区". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 2009-08-30. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "国民・岸本氏、和歌山知事選出馬を表明 離党届を提出". The Nikkei (in Japanese). 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "岸本衆院議員、知事選へ 出馬表明 「県民党」掲げ無所属で 自公立維国に推薦依頼へ ／和歌山". Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "維新市議が補選出馬表明 衆院和歌山、自民と選挙戦". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ a b "立候補予定者説明会に4陣営 構図見えてきた衆院和歌山1区補選". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "自民、和歌山補選に門氏 県連、鶴保氏擁立案異論で". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 2023-02-18. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "自民、和歌山1区補選に門博文氏 県連が決定". The Nikkei (in Japanese). 2023-02-18. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "自民候補支援した和歌山知事「敗軍の将、兵を語らず」…維新勝利の衆院１区補選". Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ a b "衆院和歌山1区補選告示 与野党幹部級が続々来援、激しさ増す争い". Mainichi Shinbun (in Japanese). 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "岸本知事とタッグを組んで諸課題に全力". LDP Official site (in Japanese). 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "菅前首相が応援演説で和歌山市入り…金属探知機を使って参加者一人一人の身体をチェック". Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "菅氏が和歌山で応援演説、手荷物検査など警備強化". The Nikkei (in Japanese). 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ a b "首相襲撃の衝撃走る和歌山補選 維新が保守王国で仕掛ける「空中戦」". The Asahi Shinbun (in Japanese). 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ a b c d "維新の勢い和歌山でも 岸田首相応援でも"保守"の牙城崩れる 維新は和歌山"小選挙区"で初議席" (in Japanese). Kansai Telecasting Corporation. 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "自民候補応援で和歌山入り情報の小池都知事を維新・馬場氏が揶揄 衆院和歌山１区補選". Sankei Shinbun (in Japanese). 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "Japan PM Fumio Kishida evacuated after what appears to be smoke bomb thrown". BBC. 2023-04-15. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "衆院補選 和歌山1区". NHK (in Japanese). 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
- ^ "Japan Election: Hayashi Set to Win a Seat in Wakayama". The Japan Times. 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2024-07-20.