The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held in mid-September its leadership election in which the incumbent president Abe Shinzo enjoyed victory, which is his third consecutive triumph. He collected the majority votes of his faction, receiving many from the local branches. There were two candidates, both of whom were regarded as the worst. They were not different distinctively; their arguments did not collide, passing through each other. We cannot envisage the future of the country optimistically, facing another Abe government. Responsibilities of opposition political parties are serious and crucial.

SERIOUS AND CRUCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF OPPOSITION PARTIES

Defeated by a boss

Prime Minister Abe was exposed time and again to dubious deals involved by his wife and himself, too, following disclosure of the scandals over the Moritomo and Kakei schools. He concealed his commitments, telling a pack of lies, revealing corrupted nature of his administration. People did not anticipate that he should win the party’s leadership election.

The ruling LDP today behaves freely as it wants. It managed to survive until a certain period in the post-war era, taking shrewd steps, and sent convenient and eye-catching candidates and leaders to remain a government party. This time, however, filing was inert, in which two boring applicants confronted and, consequently, the incumbent gained three consecutive terms in the drowsy atmosphere, defeating the challenger by a large margin.

Premier Abe is regarded as a boss among the weak. Under the circumstances politicians hesitate to speak loudly. Pressures from the premier’s offices work effectively to control rank-and-file lawmakers. Thus, inside the LDP members are defensive and self-protective, avoiding conflicts. These facts impacted on the outcome. It is certain the same mood spreads among people, too.

Silent bureaucrats

What are the causes?

It is because, firstly, a small constituency system was introduced in the elections of the House of Representatives; in which Prime Minister, or president of the ruling party, can enjoy greater power to arrange state-level elections and the Cabinet Personnel Bureau can unreservedly handle bureaucrats, who become cautious and silent, easily obeying the stronger. The executive offices do not work properly.

The same can be true to prosecutors’ office, which must be strictly independent of the government; the rule of separation of government branches is risky. Independence of the judiciary is undermined, too. A series of court rulings given on the construction work of a new military base at Henoko, Okinawa, represent conformity of lawcourts with the Abe administration.

On the other hand, however, severe criticisms are raised; ‘Why are politicians and bureaucrats easily made to move by Mr. Abe, a person who lacks intellectual capacity and does not understand laws and common sense?’ We live in a critical moment as politics is being decayed, the worst time since the end of WWII.

Where do supports come from?

Despite the illicit connections of politics, bureaucracy and business, public inquiries of support rate of the Abe government have shown a high degree of popularity; once it falls, then it recovers again. That is mystified, as the legislative undermines democracy and the state’s politics work against benefits of people. It is certain that the rightist social atmosphere produced in 1990s, symbolized by the Nippon Kaigi, or the Japan Conference, an influential nationalist association, sustains the Abe government.

‘Leftists, you are so arrogant…’

According to the news commentary of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper dated September 8, young people hope to remain ‘stable’, keeping ‘status quo’. It explains that the trend comes out as the youth have seen ‘the lost twenty years’, that is, ‘young people feel abandoned by the Japanese society’.

The Japanese society has indeed rendered young people to be vulnerable in workplaces for these twenty years; they are employed on the irregular basis and are left unable to prospect their future.

Young people say that ‘leftist people are so arrogant’ and ‘Mr. Abe does not look smart, which makes me feel friendly’. If these opinions are one more truths hidden behind the recent victory of Premier Abe, it is imperative to analyze seriously leftist movements and review them critically.

October 2, 2018