TOKYO: Japan’s ruling and opposition parties are paying close attention to the activities of Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike ahead of the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election on Sunday.

The metropolitan government revealed Wednesday that Koike was discharged from hospital and will work from home for the time being. The governor had undergone medical treatment for extreme fatigue.

Hiroshi Moriyama, parliamentary affairs chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, expressed relief on the news of Koike’s release from hospital.

“She must have had to work really hard, so I hope she’ll take care of herself,” he told reporters Wednesday.

Despite Moriyama’s relief, many in the LDP are worried about what Koike’s recovery may entail. Specifically, they are concerned that Koike may campaign in support of candidates from Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites first group), a regional party to which she serves as special adviser.

The LDP was dealt a historic defeat in the previous metropolitan assembly election in 2017, when Tomin First emerged as the largest party.

While opinion polls have predicted a strong showing for the LDP in the upcoming election, a source from the LDP faction headed by party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai suggested that Koike’s hospitalization may attract sympathy votes for Tomin First.

“Koike may enter the election battle at the perfect moment,” a senior LDP member in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan’s parliament, said.

“She could campaign on the streets,” an election strategy official in the party said. “It’s unsettling not to know what she’s thinking.” 

Komeito, the LDP’s coalition partner in national politics, is also jittery about Koike’s moves. The party backed Tomin First in the 2017 election, but will cooperate with the LDP in the upcoming polls.

“We didn’t expect (Koike’s) hospitalization to have such an effect,” a senior party member said.

“We’ll be in deep trouble if (Koike) goes on the campaign trail in the final stretch,” a middle-ranking party member said.

The opposition is kept on its toes as well, with a senior member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan suggesting that “if Koike makes a desperate appeal, she could flip five seats.”

On the other hand, some expect Koike to sit out the election. One former cabinet minister in the LDP predicted that the governor will refrain from actively campaigning in light of her relationship with the LDP, as the party effectively backed her re-election bid as governor last year.

In a comment released upon her departure from hospital, Koike touched on the metropolitan assembly election, saying, “I want to cheer on people who are undertaking reforms and working to preserve traditions.”

While she did not explicitly reveal which party she backs, some have taken Koike’s comments to mean support for both Tomin First, which campaigns on reforms, and the LDP, a conservative party preserving traditions.

Meanwhile, a Tomin First candidate published a post on Twitter on Wednesday revealing that Koike had written a letter of encouragement to the party.

“The governor will continue to fight with Tomin First,” the candidate said.

JIJI Press