Politics Japan's democratic backsliding

[thomas]

Today, Japan's incoming PM, Ishiba, decided to hold general elections on 27 October. The WP highlighted the fact that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party governed Japan for all but four of the past 69 years and took a critical look at the state of democracy in Japan.

Japan has regular, free, fair elections and is a strong democratic state where political rights and civil liberties are generally well respected, according to Freedom House, a Washington-based think tank. On Monday, Ishiba called an election for the lower house — the most powerful chamber of parliament — on Oct. 27, a year earlier than it was due, so that the public could cast their vote on his party. However, the vote could also reinforce the LDP's power. Critics and activists say the prolonged rule of one party and the weakness of opposition parties are serious flaws that raise questions about the health of Japan's democracy and voter participation.

According to Nakano Koichi, a political scientist and affiliate at the Weatherhead Program on U.S.-Japan Relations at Harvard University, Westerners always overlook Japan when discussing democratic backsliding: "[...] Japan is also a serious case in which you can question whether it's a real democracy at this point, in any meaningful sense."

Shiro Sakaiya, a Japanese politics expert at the University of Tokyo, explained that the LDP's dominance gives it a nearly insurmountable advantage over opposition parties, which are weak and divided. Although many voters are dissatisfied with the LDP, they struggle to find a credible alternative during elections. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) briefly unseated the LDP in 1993 and again from 2009 to 2012. However, the DPJ's tenure was disappointing due to economic challenges and mishandling of the 2011 Fukushima disaster. According to political analyst Uchiyama, this left a lasting impression that opposition parties are less competent than the LDP, and their reputation has not recovered. Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, emphasized that opposition parties must improve coordination and agree that a change in government would be the most significant reform. Polls show that voters, particularly young people, are frustrated with the status quo and struggling financially. Nojo, reflecting on younger voters, observed that they care about progressive issues like human rights and gender equality but feel their interests are not represented by the LDP, which suffers from a lack of diversity. The party's low female representation and the prevalence of hereditary politicians further contribute to voter disillusionment.

Paywall alert (possibly):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/30/japan-democracy-ldp-shigeru-ishiba/