***** Nagano gives Tanaka a strong vote of confidence
By TARO KARASAKI, The Asahi Shimbun
YNAGANO-Yasuo Tanaka reclaimed the governorship he lost two months ago to conservative forces, as voters Sunday overwhelmingly approved the reformer's plan to end the prefecture's long reliance on public works projects.
The 46-year-old writer-turned-politician snared 796,313 votes in the gubernatorial election with 95 percent of the ballots counted, more than double the 378,872 of his nearest opponent, lawyer Keiko Hasegawa, 50. Voter turnout was nearly 74 percent.
Word of the landslide victory reached Tanaka and his supporters soon after polling stations closed at 8 p.m.
``I would like to thank the people of the prefecture if my victory means that the public wants me to realize reforms to make the prefectural administration open and without priority on self-interests,'' Tanaka said in the village of Asahi.
Tanned and wearing a gray suit, Tanaka added, ``I would like to raise my glass (in celebration) ... along with the 2.2 million people of the prefecture, regardless of age, gender and nationality.''
One of the first things Tanaka is expected to do as governor is annul a contract for the construction of a dam north of Nagano, the prefectural capital.
Tanaka's plans to scrap that and other dam projects earlier led the prefectural assembly to call for a no-confidence motion against the governor.
On July 5, the assembly easily passed the motion. Tanaka on July 15 said he would step down and seek re-election, rather than dissolve the assembly.
Five independents-Hasegawa; business consultant Shu Ichikawa, 51; hotel operator Hideyoshi Hashiba, 52; Shinshu University graduate student Chozo Nakagawa, 46; and lawyer Tomio Fukui, 77-announced their candidacies. But Tanaka's main opponent was Hasegawa.
Although she declared herself an independent, she received organizational support from assembly members who ousted Tanaka, municipal government heads, business organizations and the Nagano branch of labor union Rengo.
But that was not enough to dent Tanaka's popularity.
Throughout the campaign, Tanaka pledged to continue his reform drive and stressed his intention to review expensive public works projects, whose central government subsidies Nagano Prefecture has long relied upon.
(09/02)
<http://www.asahi.com/english/politics/K2002090200447.html>
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***** ANALYSIS: Tanaka's win dents public works armor
By KIYOSHI OKONOGI, The Asahi Shimbun
The `build until you drop' gang suffers a rare defeat.
The re-election of Yasuo Tanaka in Sunday's Nagano gubernatorial election likely will force the central and local governments to take a hard look at what some see as a critical overreliance on public works projects.
``My `no more dams' policy means that we should review public works projects and change our way of spending tax money,'' Tanaka often stated during his election campaign.
The message resonated with voters-many agreed with his pledge to halt dam construction and review other public works projects.
If Tanaka's Nagano paradigm-develop the local economy without relying on handouts from Tokyo-takes root, it could serve as an example for the rest of the nation.
Political science professor Takayoshi Igarashi of Hosei University said: ``Tanaka's main opponent couldn't oppose the `no more dams' idea. As a result the move to review public works projects is likely to accelerate and spread to all parts of the country.''
The central government suspended plans for as many as 92 dams in and after fiscal 1996 due to financial constraints and a reduced demand for water. Instead, the government now places priority on repairing and dredging existing dams and their reservoirs.
The gubernatorial election, which caught the eye of the foreign media, is certain to instigate more dam construction protests and embolden already enlightened local governments that understand pouring a great deal of cement is not the answer to their developmental problems.
Indeed, there is a fair chance this new-found dam phobia may spill over onto highway construction, a hot-button issue that comes up whenever Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reform proposals are debated.
Roads to seemingly nowhere, bridges home to more seagulls than autos-these and other public works boondoggles are now under threat, even more so at a time when the government compiles its budget for the next fiscal year.
In addition to throwing at least a small wrench in the ``build until you drop'' ethos, Nagano will also likely serve as a model in terms of creating a new socio-economy.
Nagano voters gave the nod to Tanaka again because they well understand the 1.6 trillion yen debt amassed by the prefectural government was the result of its unremitting zeal to build roads, mammoth dams or simply anything they could think of.
The prefecture's business leaders have supported Tanaka since his first gubernatorial election in October 2000. They also understand that previous fiscal policies are unsustainable.
A construction company executive who backs Tanaka's plan to change industrial structures and rebuild the prefectural administration's finances, said, ``If we put off dealing with reforms now, the debts will only accumulate.''
Tanaka's campaign pledge shifted ``from destroying to creating'' and he plans to increase employment in welfare, environment and education as well as creating new industries.
He has vowed to turn his prefecture into ``Japan's Sweden,'' by bringing together an environmentally friendly society with industries in the high-tech field. He hopes to lure industries including biological mass and nanotechnology in concert with the adoption of anti-global warming ordinances.
Tokyo needs to pay attention to what is happening there. The central government must review public works projects and find other means of development as it bounces from one fiscal crisis to another.
``The Nagano method and its emphasis on a new socio-economy offering a prominent position to the environment, welfare and culture can be a model for reforms nationwide,'' said Naohiko Jinno, professor of economy at the University of Tokyo.
Still, reforms in Nagano Prefecture are just beginning. The prefectural government will have to cut back drastically on expenditures, including pay for government employees.
And if Tanaka doesn't build those dams, what will he replace them with and how will he fund them? Nagano and the rest of the nation are waiting to see.(IHT/Asahi: September 3,2002)
<http://www.asahi.com/english/politics/K2002090300263.html>
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I'd be interested in Charles Januzzi's and J-C Helary's opinions, as well as other lbo-talkers', about Yasuo Tanaka and public works.
Yoshie
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