Tomin First no Kai

Tomin First no Kai (Japanese: 都民ファーストの会, Hepburn: Tomin Fāsuto no Kai, Tokyoites First Party, lit. "Metropolitan Citizens First Association") is a regional political party in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan.

Tomin First no Kai

都民ファーストの会
PresidentChiharu Araki
Founded23 January 2017 (2017-01-23)
HeadquartersToshima ward, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan
Ideology"Tokyo’s Great Reform"
(self-proclaimed)[1]
Localism[1]
Conservatism[2]
Japanese nationalism[3]
Political positionCentre-right[4] to right-wing[5][3]
National affiliationKibō no Tō (2017–2018)
ColoursGreen
Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly
53 / 127
Website
tomin1st.jp

History

The group was founded by Yuriko Koike, governor of Tokyo since 2016. While still a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Koike began laying the groundwork for a new political party in late 2016, when she established the Kibo no Juku ("Academy of Hope") program to train potential political candidates. The program had thousands of applicants.[6]

On 31 May 2017, in advance of the upcoming local elections, she resigned from the LDP, officially becoming the new party's leader and forming an alliance with Komeito in an effort to secure a governing majority in Tokyo's parliament.[7] On 3 July 2017, the alliance took a majority in the prefectural election, pushing out the Liberal Democratic Party with a combined 79 seats of the 127-seat assembly.[8] All but one of Tomin First's candidates were victorious; senior LDP lawmaker Shigeru Ishiba called the election a "historic defeat" for the LDP.[9]

Koike stepped down as party head shortly after the election and was replaced by Kazusa Noda; Noda himself resigned in September 2017 and was replaced by Chiharu Araki. Two key party members, Shun Otokita and Reiko Ueda, stepped down in October, citing the closed nature of the party's leadership and its restrictions on their activities in the metropolitan assembly.[10]

Koike formed a national party, Kibō no Tō, in preparation for the October 2017 general election called by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Platform

The party platform for the 2017 Tokyo election advocated open government, proper use of public funds, and stricter penalties for public smoking.[11] However, the party indicated relatively vague policy objectives in advance of the election, and many voted for the party simply in order to prevent the LDP from taking control of the legislature in the wake of its recent scandals.[12]

Presidents
No. Name Term of office National affiliation
Took Office Left Office
1 Kazusa Noda 23 January 2017 1 June 2017
2 Yuriko Koike 1 June 2017 3 July 2017
3 Kazusa Noda 3 July 2017 10 September 2017
4 Chiharu Araki 10 September 2017 Incumbent

References
  1. 綱領 (in Japanese). Tomin First no Kai. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  2. Kawashima, Shin (28 July 2017). "The Enigma of Japanese Politics". The Diplomat. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. Yuen, Stacey (21 February 2020). "The Pride And (Anti-Korean) Prejudice Of Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike Is A Big Problem". Forbes. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  4. Gregory W. Noble (13 July 2019). "Abe sails toward another electoral victory". East Asia Forum. Retrieved 15 September 2019. ... The Japanese Communist Party, two small centre-right regional groupings — Tokyoites First Party and Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party (Ishin) ...
  5. Yuen, Stacey (21 February 2020). "Doubt cast over Tomin First's national appeal". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  6. "Tokyo Gov. Koike's political school gearing up, raising possibility of new party". Mainichi Daily News. 29 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  7. "Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike quits LDP to lead own party to polls". The Straits Times. 2 June 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  8. "Koike camp gets majority". The Japan News. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  9. "A local election in Tokyo may have just changed Japanese politics". Los Angeles Times. 2 July 2017. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  10. Yoshida, Reiji (4 October 2017). "Two Tomin First members quit over Yuriko Koike's leadership style". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  11. "Japan's Most Popular Politician Defects From Ruling Party". Bloomberg.com. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  12. Aoki, Mizuho; Kikuchi, Daisuke; Kobayashi, Kakumi (2 July 2017). "Despite vague platform, Tomin First outshining status quo in Tokyo". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
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