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People used to the stable and long-established political parties
of the UK or USA may be surprised at the regular shifting of Japanese
party politics. Political parties only emerged after the Meiji
Restoration of 1868. In the following century or so, there were
dozens of new parties born, dissolved and merged. There are really only
two major political parties (LDP and DPJ) with several other playing
largely supporting roles, as described below. Instability and change
is the name of the game with Japan's parties, but we try to keep this page
up to date. The LDP and New Komeito form the current coalition government
but they will be replaced by a DPJ-led coalition from September 16, 2009.
Jiyu Minshuto or Jiminto (Liberal Democaratic Party - LDP)
The LDP was born when the Liberal Party merged with the newly-created
Japan Democratic Party in 1955 and, under Yoshida Shigeru, became
the dominant political force in postwar Japan. Retaining control
of the Japanese government almost continuously, the LDP supported
Japan's alliance with the U.S. and fostered close links between
Japanese business and government. Popular Prime Ministers Tanaka
Kakuei and Nakasone Yasuhiro were just two of many leading LDP
politicians involved in major scandals: the former was prosecuted
as a result of the Lockheed scandal in 1976 while the latter was
implicated in the Recruit scandal in 1988. The LDP lost its parliamentary
majority in the 1993 elections, but continued to exert influence
and soon returned to power in a coalition. The years since have
seen a string of weak Prime Ministers chosen more to maintain
harmony in the party's faction system than for their ability or
charisma. But the eminently charismatic
Koizumi Junichiro, a former
Health Minister, broke that mould when he became leader in early
2001, setting new records for popularity. Koizumi promised to
reform the government and bureaucracy, despite conservative opposition
within his own party. He said he would carry out his reforms or
destroy the party if they tried to stop him. With the resurgence
in popularity brought by Koizumi and its continuing influence
in the business and agricultural sectors and the lack of a unified
and strong opposition, the LDP seemed set for many more years in
power. Chinks in the armor began apearing as a successsion of weak
and ineffective leaders followed in Koizumi's wake. Current leader Aso
Taro is typical of the incestuous nature of political power in Japan.
He is related to the Imperial family, is the grandson of a former
prime minister, and the son-in-law of another. His image as being out
of touch with the people was a factor in the LDP finally being ousted from power.
Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan - DPJ)
The original Minshuto was formed in 1947 and formed part of the
ruling coalition with the JSP and the People's Cooperative Party
later that year. Party leader and Prime Minister Ashida Hitoshi
resigned after he was implicated in a bribery scandal which brought
down the government. The party was dissolved in 1950. The current
version was formed as a reform party by Kan Naoto, Hatoyama Yukio
and his brother Kunio (who later moved to the LDP) in 1996. Ozawa
Ichiro resigned as party leader in the spring of 2009 following a
financial scandal involving a private secretary and Hatoyama was
elected as his successor. He led the party to a resounding victory
in a national election held in early September 2009. This victory
marked the first real shift in power in japanese politics in more than 50 years.
Symbol of the LDP |
Ozawa Ichiro |
Doi Takako |
New Komeito (New Clean Government Party)
Komeito was formed in 1964 as the political wing of Soka Gakkai,
an organization affiliated with Nichiren Buddhism. The party lacked
support due to its strong connection with religion until it officially
severed the link in the 1970's. Komeito went on to become a mainstay
of centrist politics. The party merged with the New Peace Party
in 1998. While established to promote international peace, support
social welfare and eliminate political corruption, recent years
have seen the party move closer to the more conservative policies
of the LDP. This helped the party enter government in a coalition
with the LDP. The current president is Yamaguchi Natsuo.
Nihon Kyosanto (Japan Communist Party - JCP)
Formed in 1922, the JCP was mostly a secretive and underground
movement until it was legalized after the Second World War. Some
successes in the immediate postwar period were undone soon after
the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. The Red Purge drove JCP
members to acts of terrorism which led to a loss of public support.
Under the leadership of Nosaka Sanzo and Miyamoto Kenji, the party
moderated its policies and began to regain support. With a basic
policy of a peaceful transition to Socialism, it has adopted an
independent and nationalist position. It calls for the return
of the Russian-held Northern Territories but has eased its opposition
to the Self Defense Forces and the US. Currently led by Shii Kazuo.
Shakai Minshuto (Social Democratic Party of Japan - SDPJ)
Although the first Japan Socialist Party was formed in 1906, it
soon broke into factions. It wasn't until 1945 that the current
party was formed and it was the main oppostion force of the postwar
period. The party had a brief 15 months in power in 1947-8 and
had to wait almost 50 years for its next chance. The early 1950's
saw the JSP reach its peak of power but increasingly left-wing
elements caused internal feuding that continued for almost 30
years. A right-wing faction broke away to form the Democratic
Socialist Party in 1960. The DSP and Komeito drained much of the
JSP's support. Under the leadership of the charismatic former
Speaker of the House Doi
Takako, the party had some short-lived
success in the late 80's and early 90's. The party changed its
name to the SDPJ in 1991. The party enjoyed a short period of
government participation in 1993-4 and formed a coalition government
in 1994-6. But after the electoral defeat of 1996 it lost many of its
members to the DPJ. Doi handed over the chairmanship to another woman, Fukushima Mizuho, in 2003.
The other "third" parties are People's New Party (Kokumin Shinto - PNP) and Your Party (Minna no To - YP)
Related pages: Japan's Government | Prime Ministers
Jiyu Minshuto (Liberal Democratic Party)
New Komeito (New Clean Government Party)
Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan)
Nihon Kyosanto (Japan Communist Party)
Shakai Minshuto (Social Democratic Party of Japan. Japanese
only, though it claims to be 'barrier-free' and accessible to all!)
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