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Politics in Japan can be a staid affair. The race to become the governor of Tokyo, which reached its climax on July 7th, was anything but that. Fifty-six candidates, many of them eccentrics, traded barbs. Pets featured on election posters; so, in one case, did pornography. A candidate dressed as the Joker from \u201cBatman\u201d spouted nonsense on national television. Another took off her clothes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In the end Koike Yuriko, the incumbent governor, bagged herself a third term with some 43% of votes. Yet it was the second-place finisher\u2014Ishimaru Shinji, an outspoken but little-known former banker\u2014who stole the headlines. Up to now, Japanese voters have seemed curiously unmoved by the kinds of social-media-fuelled populism that have upturned politics in other countries. That no longer seems so true.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Most people expected that the race would be a head-to-head between Ms Koike, a former national legislator for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Saito Renho from the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the main liberal opposition (who goes by just her given name). Both Ms Koike and Renho gained fame as television newsreaders before they entered politics. Yet relative obscurity was no obstacle for Mr Ishimaru. His brief political career\u2014four years as mayor of Akitakata, an unremarkable town in Hiroshima\u2014did not produce any noteworthy achievements. His candidacy was not backed by any political party.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Instead, the 41-year-old used social media, especially YouTube and TikTok, to convey his messages. On YouTube Mr Ishimaru broadcast to around 300,000 subscribers, compared with 3,000 for Ms Koike and 10,000 for Renho. A video that showed him berating a snoozing council member in Akitakata went viral. He promised to clear out power-hungry politicians and mocked journalists from mainstream media. In a post-election appearance he accused an interviewer of asking \u201cstupid\u201d questions while a crowd of supporters cheered. Mr Ishimaru \u201cmastered an important social-media skill\u201d, says Michael Cucek of Temple University in Tokyo. He appeared to \u201cspeak the truth to power when in fact just spouting negative nonsense\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
For years voters in Japan have seemed to be mired in apathy. The LDP has dominated politics for a decade. Turnout at elections has declined. But Mr Ishimaru\u2019s strong showing suggests both that there is appetite for change, and that social media can indeed provide a path for outsiders. According to one exit poll he snatched 42% of the votes of people aged 18-29, compared with 27% for Ms Koike and 15% for Renho. \u201cMost politicians say they care about young people, but I don\u2019t think they mean it,\u201d says Kiyono Misato, a 28-year-old who voted for Mr Ishimaru. She thought Mr Ishimaru \u201cwould be different\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Japanese voters are \u201cfed up with existing politics\u201d and feel \u201cgrowing mistrust\u201d, reckons Uchiyama Yu, a political scientist at the University of Tokyo. Social-media rabble-rousers such as Mr Ishimaru will find it more difficult to make a dent in national elections than in local ones. They find it much harder to impress older, rural voters than young ones in cities. But that will not stop them from trying. After the election, Mr Ishimaru told journalists he may contest the seat in parliament that is currently held by Kishida Fumio, Japan\u2019s unpopular prime minister.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Ms Koike\u2019s victory, at least, is a relief for the LDP. But by-elections for the Tokyo assembly were held the same day as the vote for governor, and in those the LDP won just two seats out of nine. \u201cThe results are very severe,\u201d says Mutai Shunsuke, an LDP politician in the national parliament. Mr Kishida\u2019s approval rating may be as low as 16%, according to polling by Jiji, a newswire. Rivals are preparing to challenge his leadership at a party vote due in September.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a9 2024, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Catch all the Business News, Politics news,Breaking NewsEvents andLatest News Updates on Live Mint. Download TheMint News App to get Daily Market Updates.<\/p>\n