Comments on: Tokyo assembly election: Meet the candidates – Satoru Onishi

By: Adamu

Adamu — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:35:01 +0000

It appears that the assembly members consider themselves full-time members though the regular session is only around 3 months long.

http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/feature/09togisen/rensai/CK2009061402000077.html

The steering committee, for example, seems to meet fairly regularly

http://www.gikai.metro.tokyo.jp/record/gikai/d4050001.html

By: Roy Berman

Roy Berman — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:54:08 +0000

I think that largely depends on the size of the state. I mean, do NY or CA assembly members really work have main jobs and just do their assembling on the side? Oh wait, both states’ assemblies are completely ineffectual and the NY Senate hasn’t convened properly in like two months now.

By: Curzon

Curzon — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:12:13 +0000

If elected, can they stay employed in other jobs? In the US, being a state senator/assemblyperson is a common ‘sidejob’ for lawyers, doctors, farmers and business people who are community figures in their own right and get elected because their business or practice permits it. In Japan, can prefecture assembly members do the same?

By: Adamu

Adamu — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:03:05 +0000

In Tokyo they are out in full force due to the election.

This morning there were about 15 LDP supporters shouting OHAYO GOZAIMASU to people at Ayase station. Cant we just have TV ads and spare commuters the annoyance?

By: Roy Berman

Roy Berman — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:17:20 +0000

I’ve never noticed any of their posters around here, although they do have a building in town that I’ve passed.

By: Ken Y-N

Ken Y-N — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:23:25 +0000

What happened to the Happy Clappy third plank, 300,000,000 million Japanese by 2030? Are they keeping that one off the posters?

By: M-Bone

M-Bone — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:20:42 +0000

To duplicate Curzon’s observation from the opposite end of the country – very, very surprised at how many “Happienss” posters around here.

By: Adamu

Adamu — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:17:52 +0000

They make about 17 million yen a year, plus perks. Some of the candidates would be taking a pay cut (one DPJ candidate was an executive at a job training company) but most wouldn’t be and don’t seem to have any skills outside politics or bureaucracy.

By: Curzon

Curzon — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:06:39 +0000

VERY well paid? How well paid? Is it full time or part time?

Good post. Regarding the “Happiness Realization Party,” I just got back from a trip through souther Hokkaido, and that party has more posters out than all other political parties combined. The two major platforms stated on their posters are:

– Reform Article 9. Protect our country from North Korea.
– Abolish the sales and estate tax. Double your money.

By: Adamu

Adamu — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:36:36 +0000

Ken,

Corrected the post. I wrote that without thinking and forgot to go back and correct it. Yes the constitution requires the PM to be a civilian Diet member.

The election is shockingly non-competitive, and in fact it’s the least competitive in recent memory (just 220 candidates for 127 seats, meaning only 93 people can lose). The seats pay VERY well, and in a district like Adachi you only have to come in 6th to have a guaranteed job for 4 years.

The only reason I can see is that the prefectural assembly members have very little role in shaping policy. They can either support or oppose the governor but that seems to be about it. The governor’s office and the national government set the agenda in advance.