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DPJ Makes Big Strides, Bolstering the Development of a Two-Party Political System in Japan.
(From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI))
In the 20th House of Councillors election on July 11, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suffered an embarrassing blow as it won only 49 of the 121 seats up for grabs, missing its moderate target of 51. By contrast, the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) made great strides, gaining 50 seats, a sharp rise from the 38 up for reelection. The poor showing of the LDP apparently reflects voter anger over new legislation that raises mandatory pension premiums and reduces benefits, and the participation of Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) troops in a multinational force in Iraq - two major contentious issues in that election. Despite the lackluster performance of his party, Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro said he will not step down, citing the fact that the LDP-led coalition retained a firm majority with 129 seats in the 242-seat upper house because the LDP's coalition partner, the New Komeito party, won 11 seats, one more than before. The premier plans to stay until the fall of 2006, when his term as LDP president expires. But political pundits forecast that Koizumi will face difficulties because the Iraqi situation will remain volatile and also because the strong turnout for the DPJ may weaken support for him within his own party.
The smaller opposition parties, meanwhile, fared poorly, with the Japanese Communist Party winning only four seats, down from the 15 up for reelection. The Social Democratic Party retained its two seats. The election results show that the trend toward a two-party political system has gathered steam, with the LDP almost balanced by the DPJ. Voter turnout was 56.57%, roughly unchanged from the final turnout in 2001 of 56.44%. DPJ President Okada Katsuya attributed his party's great strides mainly to public dismay over the Koizumi administration's pension reforms and the decision to have SDF troops participate in a multinational force in Iraq. He declared that a two-party political system in Japan has now set in and expressed his party's resolve to call for the government to withdraw Japanese troops from Iraq and scrap the pension legislation the ruling bloc pushed through in June.
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