Media: Opposition wins landslide in Japan election

[pinto]

Source: Associated Press

Media: Opposition wins landslide in Japan election
Eric Talmadge, Associated Press Writer

TOKYO – Japan's ruling conservative party suffered a crushing defeat in elections Sunday as voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots in favor of a left-of-center opposition camp that has promised to rebuild the economy and breathe new life into the country after 54 years of virtual one-party rule, media projections said.

The opposition Democratic Party of Japan was set to win 300 of the 480 seats in the lower house of parliament, ousting the Liberal Democrats, who have governed Japan for all but 11 months since 1955, according to projections by all major Japanese TV networks.

The vote was seen as a barometer of frustrations over Japan's worst economic slump since World War II and a loss of confidence in the ruling Liberal Democrats' ability to tackle tough problems such as the rising national debt and rapidly aging population.

National broadcaster NHK, using projections based on exit polls of roughly 400,000 voters, said the Democratic Party was set to win 300 seats and the Liberal Democrats only about 100. Official results were expected early Monday.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090830/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_politics

[fasttense]

1. Strange choice of words.

So in Japan the party called the Liberal Democrats is the ruling conservative party?

This is confusing.

[Zynx]

2. When they say "Liberal Democratic" they are referring to the form of government of

Liberal Democracy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracy

In many countries, the Liberal parties are the conservative parties because they are referring to classical Liberalism which strikes us now as conservative. Strange world isn't it?

[tama]

16. What makes US strange

is that only in US social democrats and closet socialists call themselves liberals and vote for the "liberal" party - and whine about DLC real liberals being Dinos... :)

[Art_from_Ark]

58. When they say "Liberal Democratic" they are actually referring to

the name of the then-new party that resulted from the merger of the old Liberal (derived from the word "Liberty", not "Liberalism") and the "Democratic" (derived from "Democracy", not the US party of the same name) parties in the 1950s.

[LeftishBrit]

3. Yes, but not unknown

In Australia the Conservatives are called the 'Liberals'.

For that matter, in the UK, 'Republican' has no association with right-wing politics, and implies either opposition to the Monarchy or sometimes support for Northern Ireland leaving the UK to become part of the Republic of Ireland. Neither cause is generally favoured by British Conservatives, which made it particuarly funny when McCain came here once and told the Conservative Party Conference that he wanted to 'spread Republicanism around the globe'.

[pinto]

5. LOL. Note to McCain - It pays to do your homework. n/t

[ButterflyBlood]

18. The LDP aren't really a "conservative" party in the true sense of the word

Neither are the Republicans of course. While the LDP does tend to lean to the right on issues like immigration and economics, their real purpose is more just to be a large special interests political machine ran on patronage, which is how they remained in power for so long. Much like the PRI in Mexico, though they leaned more to the left (at least at first.) The LDP aren't really "liberal" or "democratic" in any sense of the word though either. That's what makes their defeat here so interesting. They might as well disband if they're out of power and it wouldn't shock me if they soon do.

On the other hand the DPJ shouldn't be thought of as a true center-left party, but rather more a coalition of people who hate the LDP and basically run on that fact with no real unification otherwise. Actually, not too different from the American Democrats when you think about it.

[David__77]

22. "Liberalism" is an ideology of the right in most of the world.

Economic liberalism is "free market capitalism," and opposed to social democracy. Only in the US, Canada, and possibly Britain would liberalism be considered of the left, and it is imbued with different meaning.

[New Dawn]

23. Outside of the US, Canada, and the UK: "liberal" = right-wing.

[LeftishBrit]

4. Good news!

[pinto]

6. Yeah. Good to see such a large economy with so many close ties to the US, UK, AUS "opt out"

of a conservative government. :thumbsup:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. Conservatism in Japan is, in many ways, left of the U.S.

For example, they have universal health care and public schools which, although faced with problems, do a good job of creating a literate and numerate populace.

Not living over there, I'm not sure how the DPJ is different on major issues.

[exboyfil]

10. Left on these issues but what about

immigration? It was not even mentioned in the last election.

It will be interesting to see how things will change. I am hoping it will lead to our military leaving both S. Korea and Japan.

I am not sure how much further Japan can get into bed with the Chinese without risking being part of the Chinese hegemony. If that is their choice then so be it.

One of the planks is to lower cost for fuel? Kind of moving the wrong direction from addressing the global warming issue. Also reducing tolls would have the same effect which the DBJ also wants to do. They do want to implement a cap and trade type of policy though.

They want a minimum pension of $9,000/yr - kind of like our SSI.

They want to pay about $3000/yr for each child (kind of like a mega version of our child tax credit). They hope this will spur the birth rate - kind of moving in the wrong direction from a global perspective on the damage that population growth does on the environment.

The DBJ wants to lower small and medium size business corporate tax from 18% to 11%.

[IDFbunny]

54. They don't have an 'immigration' issue.

I would like to see Japan not resort to immigration to prop up a shrinking population. It would be interesting to see if they can let shrink their population and still maintain a vital economy. Japan is already overcrowded and immigration will only make it worse.

[exboyfil]

13. Public schools?

Wikipedia:
Private upper-secondary schools account for about 55% of all upper-secondary schools, and neither public nor private schools are free. The Ministry of Education estimated that annual family expenses for the education of a child in a public upper-secondary school were about 300,000 yen (US$2,142) in the 1980s and that private upper-secondary schools were about twice as expensive. (Wikipedia so take with a grain of salt).

Another source is that a public school education from K to B.S. is about $100K. The Japanese actually spend more private dollars than education than the U.S. From the same article:

Q: How do education expenses in Japan compare to those in other countries?

A: Compared to Japan and other East Asian countries, people in Europe and the United States strongly expect their country to bear responsibility for education, and parents do not personally put in as much money into their children's education as they do in Japan. Instead, other countries spend more public funds on education. Meanwhile, there is a pronounced dearth of public funds spent on preschool education and higher education in Japan, including universities. The high percentage of children continuing their education at universities in Japan is made possible by the efforts of their families. (Answers by Tomoko Onuki, Political News Department)

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090815p2a00m0na025000c.html

[Lydia Leftcoast]

21. Schools are free and compulsory through 9th grade

The family spending is on cram schools and on extras like uniforms and excursions, not on tuition for public schools.

After ninth grade, advancement to high school is not automatic. High schools, both public and private, have entrance exams, but the public high schools are tuition-free. Even in the public high schools, parents will continue to pay for cram schools in preparation for university entrance exams.

[Art_from_Ark]

60. What Lydia said

I might add that one reason why there are so many private high schools is that prospective students can usually take a test for only one public high school per testing period, but there are no restrictions on the number of private high school entrance exams they can take.

They have also recently introduced a recommendation system which gives exceptional students one more crack at admission to a public high school.

[No Elephants]

8. Hard to interpret..

Does it mean the world, or at least Japan, is shifting leftward, or does it mean people just want to dump whoever happens to be incumbent?

[gorbal]

11. Sorta

If things aren't going well they want to dump the incumbent. I get the feeling from what I have read that the Japanese are frustrated and want change.

[No Elephants]

53. Get in line, Japan.

[Art_from_Ark]

59. It pretty much means that Japanese voters were tired of the incumbents

And the incumbents pretty much self-destructed, just like the Republicans did in the last election.

Essentially the same thing happened in mid-1994, but by early 1996 the LDP was back in power.

At any rate, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[demoleft]

9. "Japanese PM Taro Aso says he will resign as party leader following election defeat" - bbc n/t

[xchrom]

12. well here's hoping the new boss does a better job than the old boss. nt

[pinto]

14. 'Major win' for Japan opposition (BBC Asia - Pacific Bureau)

The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is set for a massive election victory, exit polls suggest.

The DPJ has won 300 seats in the 480-seat lower house, ending 50 years of almost unbroken rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), NHK TV says.

The DPJ says it will shift the focus of government from supporting corporations to helping consumers and workers.

Prime Minister Taro Aso has said he will resign as head of the LDP, taking responsibility for the defeat.

Japan is suffering record unemployment and its economy is struggling to emerge from a bruising recession.

Analysts say voters blame the conservative LDP for the current economic malaise - and are angry enough to opt for change.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8229368.stm

[fascisthunter]

15. I wish the Best for Japan

[Vidar]

17. Good for Japan.

[Phoonzang]

19. I wonder how this is going to work out.

The LDP are the only ones with the experience of running the Japanese government. They're so deeply embedded, I can't see the transition being easy.

[rollingrock]

20. Time to shut down the US bases

they are a relic from WW2 and the people of Japan seem very eager to be rid of them.

[FarCenter]

24. DPJ to take over govt after crushing victory at polls

Source: The Daily Yomiuri

The Democratic Party of Japan was projected to win more than 300 seats in Sunday's House of Representatives election, a landmark victory for the main opposition party evidently spurred by voters' desire for a shift in power.

The electoral drubbing sets the stage for a government led by the DPJ, replacing the 10-year-old Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition. DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama is certain to be named the next prime minister and form a coalition government with two other opposition parties.

According to unofficial early election returns as of 10:30 p.m., the DPJ gained a combined 234 seats in single-seat constituencies and proportional representation races.

Meanwhile, the LDP was certain to suffer a historic defeat. According to early election tallies, the ruling party led by Prime Minister Taro Aso collected 46 seats and its coalition partner, New Komeito, 12 seats. The Japanese Communist Party gained five seats, the Social Democratic Party three seats, People's New Party two seats and Your Party two seats. Four independents were declared winners.


Read more: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20090830dy01.htm

---

The new Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, received a Ph.D. in managerial engineering from Stanford University.

Hu Jintao, the leader of China, has a degree in hydraulic engineering from Beijing's Tsinghua University, so both of the major Northeast Asian countries will be led by people trained as engineers and having an education in science and mathematics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukio_Hatoyama

[Laelth]

25. Good for Japan! k&r n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[imdjh]

26. Meanwhile, we elect lawyers and other ne'er–do–wells. nt

[pnorman]

27. Much of the former Japan Socialist Party had gone into the Japan Democratic Party

several years ago.

pnorman

[bertman]

28. my Japanese reading comprehension ain't so great. any chance for an English version

of this?

Isn't this the new party that's only ten years old and was told that they could not possibly be a viable option to the ruling party??

Is there a lesson here for America?

[FarCenter]

30. New link to story

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20090831dy02.htm

Daily Yomiuri's front page in English is http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/ in case they change the link to the story again.

[bertman]

33. Thanks, FarCenter. I'll check it out.

[iandhr]

29. he must be a smart guy

[JDPriestly]

31. He supposedly opposes so much free trade and wants agricultural

protectionism. Many of the policies in his platform will affect us.

PDJ.tp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203706604574381700306393382.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

He has promised social reform including better pensions, money for education and reform of the bureaucracy.

[David__77]

32. This will be good for regional peace and Sino-Japan relations.

The LDP was the party of militarists and anti-China forces. Their defeat is a good thing for peace and development.

[Art_from_Ark]

57. I wouldn't characterize the LDP as being either a "party of militarists"

or "anti-China forces". After all, the LDP did not buckle under pressure from both of the bu$h administrations to change the sacrosanct Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, and although they did send Jieitai forces to Iraq, Japanese troops never saw any military action and Japan pulled out their forces when they saw the opportunity. And while former PM Koizumi made a point to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on multiple occasions, neither of his successors did.

[liberalla]

34. I wonder if the new government will be open to changing

their whaling policies... I'd like to see that.

[Zomby Woof]

35. Japanese election upends long-ruling party

Source: AP

TOKYO – Japan's opposition swept to a historic victory in elections Sunday, crushing the ruling conservative party that has run the country for most of the postwar era and assuming the daunting task of pulling the economy out of its worst slump since World War II.

A grim-looking Prime Minister Taro Aso conceded defeat just a couple hours after polls had closed, suggesting he would quit as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan for all but 11 months since 1955.

"The results are very severe," Aso said. "There has been a deep dissatisfaction with our party."

Unemployment and deflation — and an aging, shrinking population — have left families fearful of what the future holds.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090830/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_politics_41

[David__77]

36. Excellent news.

Hopefully the socialist component of the DPJ exercised leadership of this rather eclectic party. The Communist and Social Democratic Parties exceeded pre-election expectations.

[w4rma]

37. Very awesome! (nt)

[New Dawn]

38. K&R

[AsahinaKimi]

39. sugoi ne!

Great!

[sakabatou]

43. Sou yo. Kore wa kakuii

[AsahinaKimi]

56. hai

totemo kakoii desu ne! Subarashi!

[lib2DaBone]

40. Maybe people in Japan are sick of CONservative bullcrap.....Ya think?

[Mudoria]

41. Served them well since 1946 don't you think?

[Zomby Woof]

45. Way to out yourself, conservative sympathizer

Define "served them well". Equating GDP with quality of life? Material wealth with mental health?

Is this the desirable result of the repression and sickness of conservatism when it has dominated a culture for so long? Check out this sick shit:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=9009555&mesg_id=9009555

Served them well, my ass.

[Mudoria]

48. Sheer brilliance mate..

A party that has taken a country from the ruins of WW II and brought it to the status of a world power through economics instead of military might. A party I might remind you that raised the standard of living for the Japanese people and also provided universal healthcare for all of it's citizens. There is no doubt that that the last 15 years have been less than stellar on the economic front and for that they have paid the price in the recent election. One also needs to be reminded that the word "conservative" in other nations isn't the same as looking at the current wingnut dominated US conservative movement.

[TwixVoy]

44. Wow you must know very little of Japanese politics

Japan has been in a 10+ year recession that makes our economic troubles look like nothing. The average Japanese citizen for over a decade now has found trouble finding acceptable employment. They finally have gotten tired of it.

[Art_from_Ark]

61. I think that the US situation is worse

Japan might be in a "10+ year recession" as judged by one set of criteria, but Japan has actually done a decent job so far in adapting to it. While it is becoming more difficult for the more recent crops of young job seekers to find "acceptable employment" (which in Japan usually means working for a big-name company), there are quite a few smaller (i.e.,, "less prestigious") companies that are hiring, at least here in the Tokyo Metro Area.

[rpannier]

42. I just wish the opposition party was a more progressive party

Japan's two major political parties are the LDP which is a right-wing corporate party and the major opposition which is a slightly less right-wing pro-corporate party.

[ZombieHorde]

46. Where have I heard that before? nt

[liberalla]

47. I wonder if the new government will be open to changing

their whaling policies... I'd love to see that.

[Ghost Dog]

49. Japanese voters sweep Liberal Democrats from office

Source: DU (WSWS, AoL, Reuters...)

The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) routed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in lower house elections yesterday. The Liberal Democrats have held power in Japan since the party’s formation in 1955, with the exception of an 11-month period in 1993-94.

...

While the economic crisis over the past year was a major factor in the election campaign, the decline of the Liberal Democrats has far deeper roots. As a party of the post-war period, the LDP rested on its Cold War alliance with the US and a program of national economic regulation. The globalisation of production processes that undermined the Soviet Union in the 1980s also impacted on the Japanese economy. It was no accident that the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s coincided with the collapse of Japan’s stock market and property bubbles, which ushered in a protracted economic stagnation...

...

The Democrats' plan to give families 26,000 yen ($275) a month per child through junior high is meant to ease parenting costs and encourage more women have babies. Japan's population of 127.6 million peaked in 2006, and is expected to fall below 100 million by the middle of the century. The Democrats are also proposing toll-free highways, free high schools, income support for farmers, monthly allowances for job seekers in training, a higher minimum wage and tax cuts. The estimated bill comes to 16.8 trillion yen ($179 billion) if fully implemented starting in fiscal year 2013 — and critics say that will only further bloat Japan's already massive public debt.

...

(DPJ leader) Hatoyama has advocated revising Japan's pacifist constitution to acknowledge the nation's right to defend itself and said Tokyo's foreign policy was too subservient to Washington... Hatoyama himself raised eyebrows this month in an essay that railed at the "unrestrained market fundamentalism" of U.S.-led globalisation. He played down those comments late on Sunday.



Read more: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6429178

---

Latest news because gives actual final result.

[endarkenment]

50. It could also be tweedle-dee-ism.

The potential for sweeping change in both domestic and foreign policy is there, or this could be the same sort of kleptocratic shell game that keeps our own republic mired in corruption and unable to change direction.

[Ghost Dog]

52. Well, I read that DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama's grandfather was a LDP founder in 1955.

The corruption and cronyism will probably continue, even if lessened, I suspect.

[old mark]

51. The Liberal Democrat Party in Japan is a conservative centerist

party established by the US at the end of the occupation of Japan after WWII. They are a cold war party that kept Japan allied with the West. My understanding of this vote is that the LDP was so corrupt the voters thr3ew them out to teach them that is was possible to actually lose power if their abuses became too outrageous.


mark

[NuttyFluffers]

55. that's really good news!

:hi:

hope positive changes occur!