1999 Tokyo gubernatorial election

The 1999 Tokyo gubernatorial election were held on April 11, 1999 as part of the 14th unified local elections. Incumbent Yukio Aoshima announced that he would not seek re-election. All major candidates ran as independents but several were supported by major parties. The Liberal Democratic Party, led by Secretary General Yoshiro Mori, supported Yasushi Akashi as a compromise with coalition partner New Komeito, but local LDP legislators divided their support between candidates Ishihara, Masuzoe and Kakizawa.

1999 Tokyo gubernatorial election

← 1995 April 11, 1999 2003 →
Turnout57.87%
 
Shintarō Ishihara 2003.jpg
Kunio Hatoyama 200809.jpg
Candidate Shintarō Ishihara Kunio Hatoyama
Party Independent Independent
Popular vote 1,664,558 851,130
Percentage 30.47% 15.58%

Governor before election

Yukio Aoshima
Independent

Elected Governor

Shintarō Ishihara
Independent

Author and former Diet member Shintaro Ishihara, who had previously come in second in the 1975 gubernatorial election against incumbent governor Ryokichi Minobe,[1] won the election on a nationalist platform, saying that he would have the United States return Yokota Air Base to Japan and clarify its position on Japan's ownership of the Senkaku Islands. Akashi came in fourth, the poorest showing by an LDP-supported candidate in Tokyo history.[2]

Results

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Gubernatorial election 1999: Tokyo
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Shintarō Ishihara 1,664,558 30.47%
DPJ, TSN, Kaikaku Club Kunio Hatoyama 851,130 15.58%
Independent Yōichi Masuzoe 836,104 15.30%
LDP, NK Yasushi Akashi 690,308 12.63%
JCP Mitsuru Mikami 661,881 12.11%
Independent Kōji Kakizawa 632,054 11.57%
Independent Yoshirō Nakamatsu 100,123 1.83%
Turnout 5,510,042 57.87% +7.2%
  • Note: Excludes twelve other candidates, none of whom received more than 0.3% of total votes.

References

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  1. ^ Allinson, Gary D. (1979). Suburban Tokyo: A Comparative Study in Politics and Social Change. University of California Press. p. 185. ISBN 9780520028425.
  2. ^ Kristof, Nicholas (12 April 1999). "Nationalist Critical of U.S. Air Base Is Elected Governor of Tokyo". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 January 2014.