The Communist Party of Japan is the oldest in the country. It still operates in the country, although it has practically nothing in common with other communist structures in the world. And this is only one of the features of the Japanese party system. What is its influence? We will talk about the development of politics in the state and the evolution of the party system in this article.
Stages in the evolution of the party system
Active political life in Japan began only after World War II. Prior to that, such organizations, of course, existed, for example, the Communist Party of Japan, but they either acted illegally or did not play a decisive role in the life of the state.
The entire evolution of the party system can be conditionally divided into two periods. The first of them is conditionally called the "system of 1955". It falls on the years 1955-1993 and is characterized by stability, which was provided by the main political forces of the country of that time - the socialist and liberaldemocratic party. At the same time, the Liberal Democrats were in power all this time, and the Socialists were in opposition. Among political scientists, a special term has even appeared, denoting such a system, “one and a half party”.
The second period began in 1993 and continues to this day. It is marked by frequent and radical changes in the political arena of the country. The system is already fully multi-party. The winner of the election constantly has to form a coalition government.
Recently, the main centers of political forces are the Liberal Democratic Party, whose representatives are conservatives, and the Democratic Party - liberals. They most often won the last elections in the country. In addition to them, the liberal party, the "Reform Club", which can be attributed to neoconservatives, and the left parties - the social democratic, communist, "Federation of Democratic Reforms" are actively participating in the political struggle.
This article lists the parties in Japan that play the biggest role in the country.
Problems of the political system
During the years the Liberal Democratic Party was in power, and this monopoly lasted for almost 40 years, corruption flourished in the highest echelons of power, the bureaucratic and party elites merged. Therefore, the very first coalition government formed in Japan since the end of World War II immediately set a course for reforms. And it happened only in 1993.
The composition of this government was in opposition to the Liberal Democrats. All parties includedwho at that time were in Parliament, with the exception of the Communists and the Liberal Democrats themselves. In 1994, the Japanese parliament passed several fundamental laws, the most important of which is the law on small constituencies. In accordance with it, the procedure for electing deputies to the House of Representatives is being reviewed. Previously, the elections were held according to the proportional system, now it is being changed to a mixed one, in which the majority of the members of the House of Representatives are elected according to the majoritarian system and only the smaller one - according to party lists.
The parliamentary elections of 1996 and 2000 demonstrate that such an electoral system is disadvantageous to its initiators themselves. The Liberal Democrats get the majority in parliament, while all other parties have to unite during the election campaign to get votes.
Liberal Democratic Party
Among the parties in Japan, the largest and most influential in the country in the 20th century is the Liberal Democratic Party. It was created in 1955 as a result of the merger of two bourgeois structures - democratic and liberal. Its first chairman was Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama in 1956, and virtually all of its leaders headed the government until the 1990s.
The party is supported by a large part of the conservative population. Mostly they are residents of rural areas. It also receives votes from large corporations, bureaucrats and knowledge workers. After losing influence in 1993, she went into opposition, but only for 11 months. As early as 1994, the Liberal Democratsentered into an alliance with the Socialist Party, and in 1996 regained a majority of seats in parliament. Until 2009, she managed to form a government with the support of several small parties. Following the results of the 2009 elections, she again found herself in opposition. But she was able to regain the status of the ruling party again in 2012 as a result of early elections.
In domestic policy adheres to a conservative course. At the same time, she is often accused of using an administrative resource. Financial scandals regularly occur within the structure itself.
It's amazing that this political party in Japan has never had a clear philosophy and ideology. The positions of its leaders can be described as more right-wing than those of the opposition, but not as radical as those of the right-wing groups that remain in an illegal position. The politics of the Liberal Democrats are almost always associated with rapid economic growth based on exports and close cooperation with America.
The current situation
In recent years, the party has been carrying out reforms that are aimed at reducing the level of bureaucracy, reforming the tax system, and privatizing state-owned companies and enterprises. Strengthening the country in the Asia-Pacific region, developing education and science, increasing domestic demand, and building a modern information society remain priorities in foreign policy. This is Japan's main ruling party in the 20th century.
In 2016, among the Liberal Democrats, they announced the need to changearticle of the Constitution, which prohibits the conduct of war by Japan, as well as the creation of its own armed forces. The coalition in power alongside Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the provision was anachronistic, pointing in particular to a potential military threat from North Korea.
Amendment to the Constitution has not yet been adopted. For this it is necessary that it be supported by two-thirds of the deputies of both houses of parliament, and after that it must be approved in a popular referendum. It is believed that the initiative can be accepted, since the Liberal Democratic Party has the necessary number of votes in the lower house for this.
It is interesting that in this case the party does not belong to the institutionalized ones. Therefore, it does not have a fixed number of members, it is believed that there are about two million people. The supreme body is the congress, which is convened annually.
Socialist Party
It was this political force that was the main opponent of the Liberal Democrats for most of the post-war history of the country. Now it is called the Social Democratic Party of Japan, has the fewest seats in parliament.
It was founded back in 1901, but soon it was dispersed by the police, and many went into anarchism, and one of the first socialists headed the local Communist Party. In 1947, the Socialists formed the largest faction in parliament, taking 144 out of 466 seats, but it was soon pushed out of power by the Liberal Democrats. In 1955 she joined the Socialist International, being considered inone of the most left-wing parties throughout the Cold War. The Japanese socialists advocated a socialist revolution without violence and the use of force, by winning a majority of seats in parliament. The party has been in power in Tokyo since 1967.
After being the second political force in the country for about 40 years, in 1991 she took part in the creation of a coalition government, following the results of 2010, the party reduced its representation in the House of Councilors from five to four seats, and after the elections in 2014 there and only two deputies left.
Over the past few years, the party has suffered only defeats in elections. At the end of the 20th century, there was an attempt to update the ideology, focusing on the desires and aspirations of the whole society, but the coalition with the Liberal Democrats in 1996 had a detrimental effect on its image. Having found themselves in a position where they could not have practically any influence on the current political process, the socialists have recently been regularly forced to demonstrate their unscrupulousness, which, as expected, leads to a drop in voters' confidence.
Mostly peasants, the working class, small and medium entrepreneurs, a small part of the educated intelligentsia support the Socialists in the elections.
Democratic Party
Among Japan's political parties, the Democrats have been considered the main opponents of the Liberal Democrats since 1998. This is one of the youngest political forces in the country, which was created only in 1998 by the merger of several opposition blocs.
In 2009, the Democrats defeated the main political parties in Japan in the elections, winning the majority of seats in the Houses of Representatives and Councillors. It was they who began to form the cabinet of ministers.
It is noteworthy that the Democrats, having the opportunity to form a one-party government, went to a coalition with several small structures. Party chairman Yukio Hatoyama was involved in a major corruption scandal in 2009, which led to a significant drop in his approval rating. In 2010, he was forced to resign. Naoto Kan became the new leader.
Kang's cabinet has been repeatedly accused of ineffective response to the devastating tsunami and earthquake that struck Japan in 2011. A few months after this tragedy, the government resigned.
In 2012, the Democrats have already ceased to be the leading party in Japan. They were defeated in the elections, losing more than 170 mandates. In 2016, the Democrats were forced to merge with the Innovation Party.
The main theses of her program were the high social security of the population, administrative reform and the development of genuine democratic values.
Communists
The Communist Party of Japan - one of the oldest in the country, while until 1945 she had to remain in an illegal position. Interestingly, there are many women in its composition. It is considered one of the largest communist non-ruling parties in the world. There are about 350 thousand people among its members.
Established shortly after the October Revolution in Russia, in 1922 the first illegal congress took place in Tokyo. Almost immediately, repressions began against members of the Communist Party. About a hundred people were arrested, and after the 1923 Tokyo earthquake, the communists were blamed for the riots and fires. Komsomol chairman Kawai Yoshitaro was killed. In 1928, the authorities officially outlawed the Communists, and only membership in the Communist Party could land you in jail. In total, until 1945, more than 75 thousand people were arrested for links with the communists.
The party emerged from the underground only in 1945. In 1949, in the parliamentary elections, the left won 35 seats in parliament, but the very next year, in the conditions of the Cold War, the US occupation authorities banned the party again.
Victory in elections
It was possible to return triumphantly in 1958, when the communists won first place in parliament, then the influence of the structure only increased. The leaders actively opposed the allied treaties between Japan and the United States, called for the removal of American military bases from the country's territory. At the same time, from the beginning of the 60s, the Japanese communists began to distance themselves from the Soviet Union, declaring themselves as an independent force. Moreover, having become close to the Chinese leadership, they began to criticize the policies of the Kremlin.
Japanese communists reached their maximum influence in the late 80s. At the same time, after the collapse of the Eastern bloc, the Japanese Communist Party did not begin to dissolve its structure, change its name or ideological attitudes, criticizing the countries of the EasternEurope for the rejection of socialism.
Now the party advocates the withdrawal of US troops from Japan, the preservation of the Constitution of the prohibition of war, as well as the implementation of the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol. Remains the only one in parliament that demands the return of the Kuril Islands from Russia. In the political structure, he defends the ideas of a republican form of government, but still recognizes the emperor as a nominal head of state.
In recent years, six to seven million people have voted for her. In the 2017 elections, the party received almost 8% of the votes on party lists.
Komeito
Among modern political parties in Japan, the center-right Komeito Party, founded by a Buddhist organization, stands out. She states that the main goal of politics is the welfare of the people. He sees the decentralization of power, increasing the transparency of cash flows, eradicating bureaucracy, expanding the autonomy of prefectures, increasing the role of the private sector as his main tasks.
In foreign policy, the party advocates a pacifist course, demanding the abandonment of nuclear weapons. The forerunner of the Komeito was a Buddhist party of the same name, but with a more radical program and allied with the socialists. The new party has more moderate views. It was founded in 1998.
Succeeded in the parliamentary elections in 2004 due to the good organization of the elections and high turnout. It is mainly supported by rural residents and white-collar workers. In addition, the structure usestrust of religious communities.
Parliamentary elections in 2017
Japanese political parties and political systems last participated in parliamentary elections in 2017. The liberal-democratic structure of Shinzo Abe, who retained the post of prime minister, won a convincing victory. She received more than 33% of the votes. She formed a ruling coalition with Natsuo Yamaguchi's Komeito Party, which came in fourth with 12.5%.
The rating of parties in Japan currently looks like this: the second place was taken by the constitutional democratic structure of Yukio Edano (19.8%), which created a pacifist coalition with the communist Kazuo Shii (fifth place - 7.9%) and the social -Democratic Tadatomo Yoshida (seventh place - 1.7%).
Third place Yuriko Koike's Hope Party (17.3%) joined the coalition with Ichiro Mitsui's Japan Reconstruction Party (6th place - 6%).
This is the current system and the main political parties of Japan, which are now part of the parliament. It is noteworthy that two new structures achieved quite good results in the elections. It is the "Party of Hope" and the Constitutional Democratic Party.
The need for early general parliamentary elections was caused by the aggravation of the Korean crisis. For this reason, Prime Minister Shinzo Ayue dissolved the parliament. At the same time, the opposition considered that this was done in order to avoid investigations into the possible involvement of the head of the Japanese cabinet of ministers in the machinations aroundseveral large and influential educational organizations in the country. This is the history of Japanese parties in the 20th century.
