(26 Aug 2009)
1. Yukiko Miyake, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) candidate, street campaigning on bicycle
2. Miyake supporters waving
3. Miyake waving to voters from bicycle
4. Miyake getting off bicycle and shaking hands with voter
5. Mid shot of man holding Miyake’s pamphlet
6. Tilt down to street with Miyaki’s campaign car
7. Various of of Miyake making a speech
8. Miyake walking into campaign office
9. Tilt down on volunteers in the office, to Miyake’s pamphlet on desk
10. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Yukiko Miyake, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) candidate:
“I am aware this constituency carries a symbolic position in Japanese politics, so we need to make a change here in this constituency to take a chance in Japanese politics.”
11. Pan from deserted street to campaign vehicle of Yasuo Fukuda, former Japanese Prime Minister
12. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Kiyoko Fukuda, Wife of Yasuo Fukuda, former Japanese Prime Minister:
“We need your support this time once again to elect Fukuda to make the most of his expertise, as the wind against us is so strong.”
13. Mid shot of woman waving at campaign vehicle as it drives off
14. Campaign vehicle leaving
15. Tilt up from Fukuda’s poster to Miyake’s poster
16. Mid shot of poster board
17. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Vox Pop, no name given:
“I have been supporting the LDP as it was the traditional thing to do. But this time it is different. What help did the LDP give to us? Our life just gets more difficult.”
18. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Yukiko Miyake, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) candidate
“This election asks voters whether they choose someone with experience or try someone fresh to allow them to build a future.”
19. Miyake’s campaign car leaving
STORYLINE:
Once known as the heartland of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in Gumma prefecture, north of Tokyo, there’s strong competition between old and new at a time of potential change in Japanese politics.
Forty-four year-old former TV reporter and Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) candidate Yukiko Miyake is campaigning against 73-year-old former prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, in Gumma constituency.
Gumma has boasted of producing four Japanese prime ministers in the past – the highest number from any one prefecture.
Miyake is new to the political scene since the DPJ, Japan’s biggest opposition party, chose her as its candidate last month.
She used to work as a television reporter at Fuji TV, Japan’s major TV network.
Before this election, Miyake was highly unlikely to have beaten the former prime minister in Gumma, with its long conservative tradition. But now Miyake feels she stands a chance.
The elections for the lower house of parliament on Sunday may put an end to the long dominance of the LDP, which has governed Japan alone or in a coalition arrangement for the past 55 years, except for 10 months in the early 1990s.
Support for the LDP has been plunging because of the weak economy, rising unemployment, a perceived lack of leadership and its support for higher taxes.
Fukuda, the current member of parliament for the Gumma constituency, was prime minister until last September and hosted the G8 summit last summer.
He was appointed prime minister in September 2007 after inheriting the constituency from his father, Atuso Fukuda, who was also a Japanese prime minister.
Fukuda resigned in September 2008 after the popularity of his cabinet plummeted to 15 percent.
He was deeply unpopular for his failure to lead the country out of its troubles, as well as for a series of scandals in his cabinet.
In contrast, Miyake is looking to revive Japanese politics with her freshness and youth, and provide an alternative to the dominance of the LDP.
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Post time: Jun-18-2017