What accounts for the longevity of the LDP?
It was always in my parents to constantly remind me of the power I posses. I am not talking about super powers like that of Wonder Woman and the rest of her squad, but rather the abilities I have which could change the course of my life and that of others as well. This they believed was the key to the direction of my future. For them, if I just sat and watched my life unfold before me, then it wouldn’t be my life. Rather, that kind of life is like that of a robot’s, one which just goes with the flow, following how it was programmed to work. And so through the years such belief has brought me to decisions in my life where I have paved my own road and connected it with that of others. Though rocky at times due to the different choices I have made, this road is still headed towards one direction alone and that is no other than my future. Grounded on experiences and guided by important people, my power holds the key to change. A change which can be either be beneficial or not. The important thing to take note of is the experience, where one will learn a thing or two and apply it to future undertakings. In the end, it all boils down to one’s power to take the initiative for things to happen.
You may be wondering how such a personal sharing has something to do with the longevity of the LDP. Well I am no Japanese that’s for sure, and neither of my parents have any blood connections with them as well. More so, the LDP is no Justice League nor Fantastic Four. So why is it that I shared such a thing, you ask? Well, its plain and simple – until the opposition devices a strategic plan on how they can put a stop to the more than a decade-long ruling party, then that’s the only time they can truly end the LDP’s dominance.
It all boils down to initiative as I have said earlier on. Everyone has the power to change the course of time, to make their life the way they want it – its all a matter of choice and action. Yes, there have been efforts to change the direction of Japan’s political scenario and yes there have been actions to put a stop to the LDP’s dominating governance but it is not enough. And that right there my friends is the overall reason which accounts for the longevity of the LDP.
On a much deeper perspective allow me to delve into the picture by giving you facts from the various videos and articles I have watched and read regarding the LDP’s existence which will further help you understand why I arrived at such a conclusion.
In the almost hour long video-seminar I watched, Ethan Scheiner; an associate professor of Political Science in UC Davis, discusses why Japan until present is being governed by the same ruling party from that of the 1950’s. It is in his talk where he presents us with reasons and proofs which will greatly explain the political scenario of Japan from its early years until today, all of which are also the basis for the LDP’s longevity.
According to him Japan is faced with an “uncommon democracy”, it is being governed and dominated by a single party for the past decades. There is no problem with regard to such a reality since the Japanese themselves put these people in position to begin with.
Now, the problem then lies within a single question and that is - how can an unpopular party win at all times? This is the situation of Japan, since 1955 the LDP has ruled the country but throughout its course the Japanese economy has collapsed, there have been situations of corruption in the government, and a feeling of anger from its voters. There may be some exceptions like that of Koizumi’s actions when improvements were seen because of his successful reforms but still, at the end of the day the bigger picture depicts such realities.
Scheiner further shares that in a study, more than half of the random Japanese people who were asked preferred candidates with no party affiliation. In fact, the LDP’s popularity with these people only amounted to 20-30%. To top it all, in another interesting statistics study, 44% of the Japanese do not even like the LDP which makes them the most hated party in the country.
So how is this all possible, that a single ruling party for several decades now is able to still go on after all that has been said and done? This is where his arguments were laid down.
Argument #1: The LDP for many years shepherd the economy throughout its economic success. The LDP is popular because of what they are able to do and that is what makes people vote for them. Because it has done a great deal for the Japanese economy it is no wonder why people elect them in position year after year.
Argument#2: The culture of the Japanese is one which is greatly affected by the appeal of each LDP candidate. Every election period, these candidates would really go out of their ways to captivate the hearts of these commoners. Who wouldn’t want that, people actually making you feel important because of how they deal and relate with you?
Argument #3: The platform of the LDP candidates are very strong. This also has a great relation to the candidates themselves who are truly experienced and incumbent and with that they know exactly what to do and how to go about it, making their platforms an eye-catcher for all.
The problem with these arguments is that it portrays the LDP as a very popular party when in fact reality dictates otherwise. The LDP is not popular at all, though they have occupied majority of the seats in the House of Representatives in elections they have not been winning majority of the votes since 1963. Their victory has been due to the sub-majority of the votes only. This then indicates that there is something wrong going on.
Electoral Institutions don’t seem to go hand in hand with the elections itself, that is basing on the results from the past years. Even if they are under the new electoral system, there have been problems with the coordination of the opposition. Instead of other parties using the aforementioned realities (shortcomings of the LDP and harsh realities Japan’s facing) as springboards for their campaign and attempt to finally overthrow the longest ruling party in Japan, no one can take the challenge since no one is as credible as the LDP candidates.
The LDP has “quality candidates”. They have more incumbents; their candidates are more experienced, having a better background and support system and that’s their edge over that of the opposition’s who were said to be very very weak.
In the other documentary by Kazuhiro Soda, I was able to learn more about these LDP candidates as they closely followed Yamauchi in every step of his election campaign. This gives even more justification to what Scheiner said in his talk.
Come election period, these people campaign through various means. This is where personal efforts are put to the test and in the end those efforts are what will bring them to victory. Banners, posters, flyers, megaphones, and speaker cars left and right on the streets and in subway stations inform people of nothing more than the candidates name, position, party, and affiliated national member. These candidates campaign for themselves as they walk the streets of Japan day in day out sometimes with a megaphone by their side constantly repeating their name and party affiliation. Issues and detailed platforms are not being talked about because people don’t really pay attention to such rather it is the name that they will always remember. They play safe as well as they do not delve into deeper issues so that they won’t get in the middle of any trouble or put in a tough spot, most of the time they just tell the Japanese the things they have already done like construction of offices, schools, etc.
Same is true for Yamauchi’s case. I also noticed that he campaigned not only when he had to but also in his daily activities as well. Take for example when he picked up his clothes from the laundry, he initiated the conversation with the people and workers there and so he was then able to introduce himself and ask for their support. Walking in the streets and stations, approaching people who both minded him and did not bother to shake his hand at all did not stop this young man from getting all the support he could. Repeating the same words all over again for how many days and nights and really going out of his way to go to each person in line for the bus is no joke at all, but the Yamauchi did with all gusto.
In the headquarters of these candidates, also that of Yamauchi’s can it be visually seen that poster after poster, banner after banner were the names and position of a national politician. This has a deeper meaning, it just does not mean that they are really supporting and exposing their candidates to gain more support but more so, showing that they have a national politician beside their name clearly links that they have the means to help them out and so they have the ability to carry out their platforms.
I couldn’t help but notice how Yamauchi was also constantly being trained by his “senseis” or teachers. His elderly supporters would teach him the proper way to shake hands, communicate with people and the like in order to get a greater response and most importantly gain their support. Even his wife had to sacrifice for him during this time. Its funny how the documentary also exposed the wife’s feelings towards such. She too was being taught by these elders. Instead of pertaining to herself as a “tsuma” – wife, she now has to stress out and use the term “kanai” – house wife.
Up until his victory, Yamauchi was taught of the proper decorum for people like him. Truly the support system for the candidates of the LDP is a strong one. They are not only supported on the municipal level but also by the national level. This brings me to the next reason as to why the LDP is still up and kicking.
The LDP still exists today because of “pipe lines”. This is where local LDP’s ask for the National LDP’s help who then asks people from a higher level like that from the central government and *TADA* a link has been established, now this link allows the support of the higher levels. Their efforts and actions are shot inside the “pipeline” which they’ve created and this is a great thing to take note of because with support comes the means to stay even longer.
In addition, it was mentioned in the Newsweek article entitled - Stepping down: Nakagawa in Tokyo by Christian Caryl that “Hereditary politicians” can also be a reason as to why the LDP is still dominant in the Japanese political setup. This is because this phenomenon is where people inherit their jobs from family members who were formerly known to have positions.
Proof1: In the article it was said that for the past 20 years in Japan, there have been 8 Prime Minister’s who were either sons or grandsons of previous LDP politicians.
Proof2: Shiota Ushio; a journalist, conducted a study wherein results showed that “a full quarter of all current members of the Diet were children of ex-legislators” and that 40% of the LDP’s law makers were also victims of such. As a matter of fact, Koizumi himself was a 3rd generation politician.
This “in breeding” that happens in the system of Japan creates a gap wherein which these hereditary politicians are greatly detached from their nation. But not all members are hereditary politicians, there are also those whom the LDP appoints but on they do on the basis of one’s affinity and not of their professional qualifications.
Wow Wow Wee! That sure is a load of information. Well, I hope that my diving deeper into the matter helped you understand why such a reality exists in Japan up until this very day. Though efforts and actions have been made to alter the course of Japan’s political scenario there is still something lacking, but until they realize that nothing will happen. Initiative, one has to take the daring step and alter all that had been mentioned above. It only takes a spark to get the fire burning but that spark depends on your initiative and the your team’s support.
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This video also shows how contradicting the Japanese people are. They were telling the wife of Yamauchi to quit her job as a kind of reward or payment for her husband’s supporters, this she strongly objected to because if her husband doesn’t win they will be broke. Then she was further corrected saying that she shouldn’t think of losing. But reality is that she has to think of her future too. She doesn’t understand how the people of Kawasaki are saying such knowing that their present situation dictates otherwise – there are many waitlisted kindergarten students, a lot of housewives working, etc.
