Koike’s party names 192 candidates in initial list

October 3, 2017

TOKYO- Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's Kibo no To (Party of Hope) released on Tuesday its initial list of 192 candidates for the Oct. 22 House of Representatives election.

The list of 191 candidates for single-seat constituencies and one for a proportional representation bloc includes 110 members of the Democratic Party.

The list was compiled after Koike and DP President Seiji Maehara agreed last week that the two sides will determine which DP members will be fielded as Kibo no To candidates.

Kibo no To plans to add more candidates later this week, aiming to field at least 233 candidates in the hope of taking a majority of the 465-seat lower chamber of parliament to dethrone the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, also president of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Kibo no To is expected to unveil its policy pledges shortly, including calls for revising Japan's Constitution and reducing the country's dependence on nuclear power generation to zero, sources familiar with the situation said.

Speaking to reporters in the southwestern Japan city of Kagoshima, Koike said, "I'm 100 pct sure I won't run (in the upcoming election)," citing the preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics as one of reasons for refraining from running in the election.

She also suggested her intention to cooperate with governors of prefectures hosting nuclear power plants across the country in order to realize the "zero nuclear" goal.

Although Kibo no To will boost efforts to field more candidates, it appears difficult for the party to win a majority in the Lower House alone, the sources said. Jiji Press