【Story】

House of Representatives Election, Kagawa 1st District: The 18-Year Battle

 

In his previous film, “WHY YOU CANʼT BE PRIME MINISTER ", director Arata Oshima portrayed the struggles of House of Representatives member Ogawa Junya (50 years old, 5 terms), an opposition politician torn between his ideals and reality.

A persistent challenge in Ogawa’s political career has been his weakness in elections. Since his first run in 2003, he has won only once and lost five times, but has consistently returned to the Diet through proportional representation.

In his home turf, Kagawa’s 1st District, he has consistently faced the same opponent: Takuya Hirai of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the House of Representatives. Hirai, 63, serving his seventh term, is a third-generation politician. His family owns both the Shikoku Shimbun newspaper, which holds a 60% market share in the local area, and Nishi-Nippon Broadcasting. Locally, he is known as the “Kagawa media king.” On the other hand, Ogawa is the son of a beauty salon owner with no base, no reputation, and no assets. Could there be any other district with such contrasting candidates?

In the 2017 general election, the race between them narrowed to just 2,000 votes, with Hirai winning the seat. Since then, Ogawa has drawn national attention for investigating statistical fraud in the Diet, raising his public profile, especially following the release of Oshima’s documentary. Meanwhile, Hirai was appointed Minister of Digital Reform in September 2020−a prominent cabinet position−but soon faced a series of scandals, including controversial remarks that drew media scrutiny.

How powerful is the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has long held Japan’s government? This film portrays the state of Japanese democracy through the lens of ruling and opposition camps, the candidates, and the voters.