Key Facts
• April 12: Nerima Ward mayoral election held due to incumbent’s term expiration.
• Kenichi Yoshida (59), kindergarten director, narrowly lost previous election by ~2,000 votes.
• Yoshida wins mayoral seat for the first time in a rematch.
• Kohei Ojima (37), former Tokyo assembly member and close aide to Governor Yuriko Koike, loses.
• Ojima and company president Kyohei Mikami (43) fail to secure victory.
• Yoshida runs as a completely independent candidate, supported by Communist and Social Democratic parties.
• Ojima endorsed by Tokyo Citizens First Party, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Tokyo Restoration Party, and Democratic Party for the People.
• LDP backed Ojima with full support from Tokyo lawmakers after sweeping 30 districts in February general election.
• Governor Koike campaigned twice; Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama and Democratic Party leader Yuichiro Tamaki also supported.
• Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a winning message as LDP president.
• Nerima Ward population approx. 750,000, a key Tokyo ward.
• LDP suffers consecutive losses in Tokyo local elections despite Takaichi’s popularity in general election.
• LDP faces concerns ahead of next unified local elections after defeats in Kiyose and Nerima.
Summary
In the April 12 Nerima Ward mayoral election, Kenichi Yoshida, a kindergarten director who previously came within 2,000 votes of the incumbent, secured a decisive victory. Yoshida ran as a fully independent candidate, gaining support from left-leaning parties, and campaigned on fairness, listening to residents, and halting the controversial ward art museum reconstruction. His main opponent, Kohei Ojima, a close aide to Governor Yuriko Koike and former Tokyo assembly member, was endorsed by multiple parties including the LDP, which had recently achieved a sweeping victory in Tokyo’s general election. Despite strong backing from prominent politicians including Koike and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Ojima was defeated. This result, following another recent LDP loss in Kiyose City, highlights the party’s ongoing struggles in Tokyo local elections, raising concerns about its prospects in the upcoming unified local elections. Nerima Ward, with a population of about 750,000, remains a critical political battleground where national popularity did not translate into local success for the LDP and its allies.
