2009 Tokyo prefectural election

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 2009 Tokyo prefectural election

| country = Tokyo

| type = parliamentary

| ongoing = no

| previous_election = 2005 Tokyo prefectural election

| previous_year = 2005

| previous_mps =

| next_election = 2013 Tokyo prefectural election

| next_year = 2013

| seats_for_election = All 127 seats in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly

| majority_seats = 64

|turnout = 54.49%({{increase}}10.50%)

| election_date = 3 July 2009

| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image = Naoto Kan 20071221 (cropped).jpg|bSize = 95|cWidth = 90|cHeight = 120|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}

| leader1 = Naoto Kan

| leader_since1 = December 2008

| party1 = Democratic Party (Japan, 1998)

| leaders_seat1 =

| last_election1 = 35

| seats_before1 = 34

| seats1 = 54

| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 20

| popular_vote1 = 2,298,495

| percentage1 = 40.79%

| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image = Nobuteru Ishihara cropped 2 Ishihara Nobuteru 2012 (cropped).jpg|bSize = 100|cWidth = 90|cHeight = 120|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}

| leader2 = Nobuteru Ishihara

| leader_since2 = September 2005

| party2 = Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)

| leaders_seat2 =

| last_election2 = 48

| seats_before2 = 48

| seats2 = 38

| seat_change2 = {{decrease}} 10

| popular_vote2 = 1,458,108

| percentage2 = 25.88%

| colour2 =

| image3 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Natsuo Yamaguchi (cropped).jpg|bSize = 90|cWidth = 90|cHeight = 120|oTop = 0|oLeft = 5}}

| leader3 = Natsuo Yamaguchi

| leader_since3 = May 2003

| party3 = Komeito

| leaders_seat3 =

| last_election3 = 22

| seats_before3 = 22

| seats3 = 23

| seat_change3 = {{increase}} 1

| popular_vote3 = 743,428

| percentage3 = 13.19%

| image4 =

| party4 = Japanese Communist Party

| leader4 = Yoshiharu Wakabayashi

| leader_since4 = 1997

| last_election4 = 13

| seats_before4 = 13

| seats4 = 8

| seat_change4 = {{decrease}} 5

| popular_vote4 = 707,602

| percentage4 = 12.56%

| image5 =

| leader5 = Mitsuko Nishizaki

| leader_since5 =

| party5 = Tokyo Seikatsusha Network

| leaders_seat5 =

| last_election5 = 3

| seats_before5 = 4

| seats5 = 2

| seat_change5 = {{decrease}} 2

| popular_vote5 = 110,407

| percentage5 = 1.96%

| map = 350px

| title = Assembly President

| before_election = Toshio Hiruma

| before_party = Liberal Democratic Party of Japan

| after_election = Ryo Tanaka

| after_party = Democratic Party of Japan

}}

Prefectural elections for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly were held on 12 July 2009. In the runup to the Japanese general election due by October they were seen as an important test for Taro Aso's ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the New Komeito. New Komeito considers Tokyo as an important stronghold and had repeatedly asked Prime Minister Aso to avoid holding the two elections within a month of each other.{{cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090628a1.html|title=Aso leaning toward early August election. LDP executives may also be reshuffled to boost poll numbers|work=The Japan Times|date=June 28, 2009|accessdate=June 29, 2009}}

Campaigning officially started on July 3, 2009.TMG Electoral Commission: [http://www.senkyo.metro.tokyo.jp/schedule/schedule_h21.html#to Tokyo election schedule] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709105857/http://www.senkyo.metro.tokyo.jp/schedule/schedule_h21.html#to |date=2009-07-09 }} {{in lang|ja}} The prefecture's 10.6 million registered voters (up 230,000 from 2005) were called upon to elect the 127 Assembly members in 42 electoral districts at 1,868 polling stations across Tokyo.TMG Electoral Commission: [http://www.senkyo.metro.tokyo.jp/h21togisen/h21togisen-keikakugaiyou.html 平成21年執行東京都議会議員選挙執行計画の概要] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090714225649/http://www.senkyo.metro.tokyo.jp/h21togisen/h21togisen-keikakugaiyou.html |date=2009-07-14 }} 221 candidates had been formally registered with the Tokyo metropolitan electoral commission. The LDP and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) each endorsed 58 candidates, the Japan Communist Party (JCP) supports 40 and New Komeito formally fields 23 candidates,{{cite web|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20090704TDY01302.htm|title=Tokyo poll campaign starts / 'Ishihara ruling bloc,' DPJ battling for majority in assembly|work=The Daily Yomiuri|date=July 4, 2009|accessdate=July 3, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} though it has also decided to support LDP candidates in several districts.{{cite web|url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090703p2a00m0na015000c.html|title=Campaigning kicks off for Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election|work=Mainichi Daily News|date=July 3, 2009|accessdate=July 3, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} Local campaign issues included Tokyo's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games and governor Shintaro Ishihara's plan to relocate the Tsukiji fish market in 2012.{{cite web|author=Mariko Katō|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090701f1.html|title=Key gripes converge in Tokyo poll. Opposition hits Tsukiji move, Olympics, Shinginko|work=The Japan Times|date=July 1, 2009|accessdate=July 3, 2009}} The national debate over a possible ban of "hereditary" ({{lang|ja|世襲}}, seshū) politicians has also affected several candidates.{{cite web|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/feature/20090608-145088/news/20090616-OYT1T00723.htm|title=都議選でも注目、どうなる世襲への審判|work=Yomiuri Shimbun|date=June 16, 2009|accessdate=June 29, 2009}}

Tokyo's legislative election is one of only three elections for prefectural parliaments countrywide that are not held in the "unified regional election" (tōitsu chihō senkyo, last round: 2007), the other two being Ibaraki's and Okinawa's prefectural assembly elections.