Main Opposition Parties Face Turning Point of Election Strategy

Despite major setback of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, the opposition parties except two internet-friendly small parties could not gain an outstanding victory in the Upper House election. Most independent voters seemed to be resonant with populism, rather than the policies alternative to the leading coalition. It is inevitable for the traditional opposition parties to reconsider their strategy to achieve leading position in Japanese politics. 

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) was not successful in syphoning votes frustrated with the LDP politics. The CDPJ obtained 22 seats in the Upper House election, the same number of CDPJ lawmakers who were up to the election. It was surprising that the CDPJ lagged the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) and Sanseito in the achieved votes in proportional constituency. Counting in the seats without election this year, CDPJ is still the biggest opposition party in the Upper House.

 

The CDPJ sought cooperation in prefectural districts with other opposition parties. The party refrained from fielding a candidate in Wakayama district to support another candidate with Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin-no Kai), while Ishin gave way to the CDPJ in Gifu district. This kind of traditional election strategy did not work this time. Significant number of anti-LDP votes headed to Sanseito which fielded its own candidates in all 45 prefectural districts.

 

The CDPJ leader, Yoshihiko Noda, reiterated that he would seek non-LDP administration in the next Lower House election. He calls last Lower House election last October “hop”, this Upper House election “step” and next Lower House election “jump”. That idea was based on possible advance of CDPJ as the leader among opposition parties. It is still unclear how the opposition parties can form a cooperative framework to overrule current leading coalition.

 

Ishin increased two seats, winning seven in the Upper House election. It won twelve seats in last Upper House election in 2022, but it shrank in the Lower House election last October. Considering no major upsurge in 2025 Upper House election, it is undeniable that Ishin is in a trend of slowing down. With no victory in the districts in east Japan, Ishin looks like becoming one of the local parties in Japan.

 

Ishin’s leader, Hirofumi Yoshimura, is Governor of Osaka, who promoted Kansai-Osaka Expo which received broad criticisms about the cost. Ishin’s decision to vote for 2025 annual budget bill in the Diet in March obscured the party’s stance as one of the opposition parties. Ishin’s cause against centralization to Tokyo is losing power.

 

Japan Communist Party (JCP) reduced four seats. It had seven seats up to the election and won only three. JCP has been one of the destinations of anti-LDP voters. However, they went to other opposition parties that employed various propaganda through internet. JCP may face a necessity to revise its campaign strategy which refrains from fielding candidates in prefectural districts to give advantage to other opposition parties.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dilemma between Alliance and Constitution

  In the new year ministerial online meeting, Japan and United States resolved to work together to deal with various challenges by China. In the Joint Statement of the Security Consultative Committee, or “2+2,” the ministers of both government, US Secretaries of State and Defense and Japanese Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, expressed their concerns on Beijing’s efforts, which were recognized as undermining the rule-based order in Indo-Pacific region and the world. On possible countermeasures, however, there still is a possibility of constitutional dispute in Japan over the principle of exclusively defensive security policy. The ministers referred to their concern about China’s activities in the East and the West China Sea. They reaffirmed to apply Article V of US-Japan Treaty of mutual Cooperation and Security to the Senkaku Islands, and strongly objected to China’s unlawful maritime claims, militarization and coercive activities in the South China Sea. They did not forge...
Read more

Oral Argument against Landfill

Governor of Okinawa Denny Tamaki made an unusual appearance to the court on Monday to submit his opinion on the building of new base for United States Force in Henoko, Nago city. “Execution by proxy of the national government, which violates the independency of Okinawa, cannot be accepted,” said Tamaki in the first oral argument at Naha Branch of Fukuoka High Court on the trial over the request of national government to change the design of new base. Accepting demand from Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the court closed the trial on the day one.   The national government submitted in 2020 a change of plan for the construction of new base, which was to reinforce the soil of sea base. The government of Okinawa rejected the plan and Tokyo ordered Okinawa accepting it, but Okinawa did not obey, and then Tokyo filed a lawsuit. The Supreme Court decided in September that the order of national government was lawful. Seeing that Okinawa did not approve the plan by ...
Read more

New But Traditional Capitalism

According to the top leader of Japan, the country is going to lead the world with a concept of “new capitalism.” In his annual policy speech to the National Diet on Monday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida required the people to join his challenge for economic and social change, to which he believed the world to be stepping forward. However, his challenge looks to be relatively leaning on traditional growth-oriented policies, lacking strong momentum for wealth distribution to every corner of Japanese society.      Kishida tried to sell his new capitalism as the key to economic revitalization. He listed various hazards the world was encountering; wider gap and poverty brought by dependence on market economy without fair distribution, shortage of mid- or long-term investment caused by putting priority on efficiency of competitive market, losing sustainability, arial gap between the urban and the rural, serious climate change with pressure on the nature, and crisis of healthy de...
Read more