Prime Minister ABE Shinzo made a campaign speech for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in July. At that time he was heckled with calls of “Go away” or “Quit it.” Mr. Abe became angry about this and responded, saying, “Everyone, we can’t be defeated by these people.” In October the election for the House of Representatives was held. The Metropolitan Governor of Tokyo KOIKE Yuriko, who founded a new party “Party of Hope” agreed that members of the Democratic Party could join her party. However, Ms. Koike remarked that she had “no intention of accepting all of them at all,” and that members of the liberal faction were “excluded.” In the elections following these two leader’s ill-judged comments, both parties were defeated by a huge margin.