A Sudden Announcement

News broke that Nana Honma, leader of Shinto Kunimori (backed by Channel Sakura and Kunimorishu), would run in the 2021 House of Representatives election.

Honestly, given the preparation required, many thought Shinto Kunimori would sit this election out, so her sudden announcement was a surprise.

The Result

Unfortunately, Nana Honma ran in Wakayama 3rd District in the 2021 Lower House election but was not elected.

» Shinto Kunimori: 2021 Lower House election results

Why Did She Run?

The most direct reason was probably that Toshihiro Nikai, the incumbent in Wakayama 3rd District, did not retire. Kunimorishu and Shinto Kunimori had shown so few signs of preparing for this election that it seems unlikely they had a detailed plan; more likely they moved suddenly after weighing the situation.

Honma began appearing much more on Channel Sakura and its sister channel about two weeks before the announcement. That was preparatory activity with an election in mind, but the final decision was probably made after watching the LDP leadership race and Nikai's moves. Had they decided from the start, they would have prepared in advance; the abruptness suggests a decision made in response to circumstances.

Who Is Nana Honma?

Nana Honma is a presenter for Channel Sakura Hokkaido. After helping launch Kunimorishu and Shinto Kunimori, she became the party's leader.

Background

Born in Fukuoka and living in Hokkaido, she is a highly capable former official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Born in 1969, she was 52 as of October 6, 2021. She joined the ministry (then under its former name) in 1993 and served as a national civil servant for 18 years. She says she now runs a business providing hangar services for private jets in Hokkaido. She previously ran for mayor of Sapporo with LDP backing but lost, so she does have political experience.

Why Wakayama 3rd District?

Wakayama 3rd District is known as Nikai's home turf, where he has a rock-solid base. Defeating him there is the purpose of this candidacy.

Because Kunimorishu has campaigned heavily in Wakayama to unseat Nikai, its name is becoming somewhat known in the prefecture. Running there means that even if Honma loses, she can tell many voters about what Nikai has done — so there is value in running.

» About the campaign to unseat Toshihiro Nikai

Moreover, given his age, Nikai will probably try to pass his base on to his son, so the candidacy also matters for eroding that base. Because of his strong base, apart from the Communist Party no other party fielded a candidate, so the race was expected to be a three-way contest between the Communist Party, Nikai and Shinto Kunimori.

Policies Shinto Kunimori Advocated in This Election

Summarizing Honma's statements, Shinto Kunimori says it will “revise the Constitution in place of the LDP.”

Basic Policies

Above all, the party says it will focus on national security and proactive fiscal policy, and it calls for cutting the consumption tax to 0%.

Opposition to Mega-Solar Projects

On energy security, the party strongly opposes large-scale solar panel installations. The contradiction of “eco-friendly” solar power destroying the environment is a current political issue in Japan. It argues that solar installations are causing environmental damage and landslides and are by no means kind to the planet, and that the solar power aggressively promoted by Shinjiro Koizumi and Taro Kono is in fact tied to family vested interests — a kind of interest-group politics it firmly opposes.

Not Tolerating Pro-China LDP Members Selling Out to China

Honma also described how town-owned forest land in Wakayama has been sublet and resold at high prices, and called for regulating sales of land owned by prefectures and municipalities. She further claimed that Nikai's second son is involved behind the scenes of this resale business.

Opposition to a Casino

“We will never allow a casino in Wakayama!” She claimed that Nikai is involved in efforts to attract a casino to Wakayama, that a foreign company would be made the operator, and that this company is backed by organized crime linked to the Chinese Communist Party. There are also concerns that casinos become hotbeds of money laundering and financial wrongdoing. She vowed to block, at all costs, casino interests in which foreign forces and domestic politicians collude.

Denouncing Toshihiro Nikai

Due to the maneuvering of Nikai, regarded as the embodiment of the pro-China faction, the LDP did not adopt a resolution condemning human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in this Diet session — prioritizing relations and economic ties with China over human rights.

To protect freedom and democracy, Shinto Kunimori says it cannot forgive politicians who sell out the country for foreign interests — “only now, only money, only themselves.” Nikai is no longer secretary-general, but since he is running again rather than retiring, the party will confront him head-on as conservatives. For Shinto Kunimori, the real battle is just beginning.

» What is Shinto Kunimori?
» Shinto Kunimori: candidates in the 2022 Upper House election

October 6, 2021 — sandragon965

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