Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly

Current composition

The Tokyo prefectural election, 2013 took place on June 23, 2013. All 82 candidates nominated by the national-level ruling coalition of LDP and Kōmeitō were elected. The DPJ was reduced to fourth party, falling behind the Communists who picked up nine seats. Turnout was the second lowest in history at 43.5%, down from 54.5% in 2009.

As of August 2, 2016 the assembly was composed as follows:

Electoral districts

Most electoral districts correspond to current municipalities, but several districts correspond to former counties (the counties, abolished as administrative unit in 1921, had initially by definition served as electoral districts for prefectural assemblies in the Empire), namely the West Tama (Nishi-Tama), North Tama (Kita-Tama) and South Tama (Minimi-Tama) counties. The towns and villages on the islands have never been subordinate to counties, but to four subprefectures that together form the islands electoral district.

Heckling incident

On June 18, 2014, an assemblywoman Ayaka Shiomura was heckled in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly meeting. When she was making questions about how to save women who have a difficulty about pregnancy and childbirth, heckles and laugh occurred from the seats. Japanese media,various members of society both condemned and also excused the heckling, especially because of Shiomura's background. Many people against the heckling asked for people who make heckling to be identified. Media overseas, CNN, BBC, and so on, also criticized the heckling, and reported on the endemic sexism that made such a thing possible, while the Japanese media tended to present it as a one-time case of sexual harassment. On June 23, assembly member Akihiro Suzuki came forward, saying he was one of the people who heckled her and he made a formal, public apology. The fact that a member of the LDP ruling party apologized publicly (bowing deeply) was seen as very big deal. Other hecklers never came forward. On June 25, the assembly passed a resolution of aiming to restore the trust, and finish this problem.

Background

Shiomura (35), a member of Your Party was a broadcast writer before she became a member of Your Party and she was a bikini model before she became a broadcast writer. When she was a bikini model, she appeared on Koi no karasawagi, a TV program (Nippon TV). Akihiro Suzuki (51) is first elected in Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in 2007. In the Metropolitan Assembly, it has acted as the Committee on General Affairs vice chairman or the acting Liberal Democratic Party chairman of the Policy Research Council. Suzuki had hung up "a substantial aid for childcare" and "realization of the society in which women is very easy to work" contrary to the contents of heckling which he did to her. Moreover, Suzuki approved of the plan to purchase the Senkaku Islands (Ishigaki city, Okinawa) in August, 2012. For the purpose of investigation of the Senkaku Islands, he swam from the ship, while he had been allowed to, and he landed at Uoturijima island, and he was investigated by the Okinawa Prefectural Police on suspicion of a misdemeanor.

Heckling

The hecklings with which assemblywoman Shiomura were bombarded are as follows; “Umenai no ka (Can’t you bare a baby?)”, “Kekkon shiro (Get married)”. The former assemblyman Suzuki stated, but it was not clear who stated the latter. Yōichi Masuzoe, the Governor of Tokyo Metropolis, and other member of the assembly were drawn in by the heckling and scornfully laughed. The public pay attentions to who made the heckling. Hecklings are variable; sometime a heckling encourage the speaker and another time it injures speaker just like this matter. There has been a thinking that heckling can give humor and make discussion smooth since past World War II. Thus, some people think of heckling as good. According to Morita Minoru, Japanese political commentator, points out that though heckling has been since past, political leaders get bad at heckling other members, and the number of vulgar heckles has increased (2014). There are various arguments on whether or not this is sexism. For example, Tabojin Toshio, who run for the latest Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, said that he did not understand why this is sexism (2014).

Investigations

In June 30, Shiomura submitted to Tokyo chairperson the requisition. The requisition say the person who heckled Shiomura should be punished, but the requisition was rejected because the man who heckled her was known. Therefore, Your Party (minna no to) planned to specify the man who heckled her by analyzing a voiceprintWhen Suzuki was asked about the relationship with heckling on June 20, Suzuki said “Bolt from the blue” denied the relationship with heckling completely. The Metropolitan-Assembly Liberal Democratic Party held the affiliation lawmaker's general meeting on the 23rd and at the afternoon press conference, Metropolitan-Assembly Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Osamu Yoshiwara said that the man who heckled Shiomura was Suzuki Akihiro, a member of the Metropolitan Assembly.

Effects

All of the female members of the metropolitan assembly demanded that such hooting should be legislated. Also, Your Party claimed that someone who made fun of Ms. Shiomura should be identified. More than 1000 protestations against the hooting were sent to the metropolitan assembly. On Twitter, BBS and so on, so many people mentioned the incident. Most of them radically criticized the sexist abuse. Not only in Japan but also in other countries, this problem has been focused on. For example, the Guardian, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal analyzed and criticized this sexist abuse.

This incident has influenced the Cabinet support rate. the support rate of Liberal Democratic Party, which is one of the major political party in Japan and has been in power since 2012, decreased. In contrast, the support rate for Your Party rose.

After the problem happened, politicians has refrained from hooting during discussion, for example, about the budget in the House of Representatives. Some people analyzed that the incident was likely to influence 2020 Summer Olympics.