{
  "id": 12966902,
  "title": "Yoroku: The 'TOKYO' strategy and the return of political pressure",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/yoroku-the-tokyo-strategy-and-the-return-of-political-pressure",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-08T22:00:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261008/p2a/00m/0op/032000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The \"TOKYO\" strategy was a counteroffensive campaign launched by Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the 1970s. This initiative aimed to regain control of key regions, including Tokyo, Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Yokohama, and Okinawa Prefecture. The primary target of this campaign was popular Tokyo Governor Ryokichi Minobe, who faced criticism over the city's fiscal management issues. The strategy employed national government powers over budgets, subsidies, permits, and regulatory authority to exert pressure on local governments.\n\nMinobe's memoirs reveal that a senior Home Affairs Ministry official openly expressed concerns about Minobe's suitability, stating, \"If Ishihara becomes governor, that's a different story. But if it is Minobe, we will not take care of matters.\" This incident occurred during the 1975 Tokyo gubernatorial election, where Minobe narrowly won his third term against Shintaro Ishihara. The LDP's policy of pork-barrel politics, which provided bullet train routes and expressways to Minobe's home region, is believed to have contributed to the party's long-term control of power.\n\nThe controversy surrounding the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism also illustrates the same issue. Agriculture Minister Kazuo Yana openly admitted to significantly cutting road budgets for local governments headed by leaders who opposed him during the last House of Representatives election. Despite denying any lobbying or pressure, inquiries have revealed actual budget reductions, creating an uneasy impression. The LDP's secretary-general, Toshihiro Nikai, suggested in 2014 that allocating budgets to places that work hard for elections is acceptable, but this raises concerns about potential power harassment politics under the ruling party's control. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent comments about Yana are also being questioned.",
  "summary": "The so-called \"TOKYO\" strategy refers to the counteroffensive campaign launched by Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) during the 1970s, whe",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}