The Japanese coalition government led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba lost its parliamentary majority in Sunday’s election following a huge profit made by right -wing populist parties, in indication that right -wing localism and polarization are now under reducing political stability in Japan.
For now, Isaba vowed to slope as Prime Minister, despite the second election defeat in nine months. His Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost an SNAP election last October, making it a minority party with a coalition.
Ishiba has said that he accepts the old “politely” result and “continues to take responsibility for national affairs.”
However, the continuity of Ishiba as Prime Minister no longer depends on him. A stringed protest can top him with a vote without any confidence, even if the thesis parties do not unite enough to create the subjects of a governing coalition.
Ishiba therefore face the threat of a rebellion with LDP, which has been ruled by Japan almost continuously for about 70 years and has always controlled the Chamber of at least Parliament.
Orthodox LDP Heavyweight Taro ASO has said that he cannot “accept Ishiba” as Prime Minister.
However, potential successors live in the cover for time. Mashelo Ivasaki, a political scientist at Nihon University, Tokyo, said, “No one wants to change the Isaba in difficult times for LDP.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtogqicd8ca
Japan’s ruling coalition barely misses
The ruling coalition of the LDP and Buddhist Ani Party recalled its self-laughable target of maintaining a majority in the upper house of Parliament, with 248 out of 125 seats to be reunited. The alliance missed only three seats, which was unexpectedly closed results.
LDP is now likely to try to win some independent MPs on their behalf. Even if it was informed, the government is still on unstable ground.
One of the options of Ishiba must expand its governing alliance. However, major opposition parties have already declared that they will not enter a grand alliance. Apparently, he suspects that Ishiba will continue to be the Prime Minister and LDP leader in the medium period.
It leaves the 68 -year -old politician with an option of selective cooperation with individual opposition parties, which has been doing the more important at the end of the lower home after losing his majority in the lower house.
However, it will not be with painful concessions, for example, on tax issues. Prior to the election, Ishiba rejected opposition demands for a reduction in VAT on food. Instead, he promised to pay cash payments of 20,000 yen (€ 116/$ 135) by the end of the year to compensate every citizen to compensate for the loss of purchasing power due to high inflation.
Japan’s right -wing bounce
According to Japanese media, LDP comes as the election defeat as many voters are dissatisfied with a three -year decline in real wages due to high inflation, as well as with a sharp increase in foreign workers and tourists.
Two young, right -wing populist parties benefited the most, but the largest opposition group, former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Nada’s constitutional Democratic Party, rarely benefited.
The SANSEITO party, which is only five years old, increased its number of seats in the upper house from two to 14 and the Democratic Party for the people of nine to 17.
The SANSEITO party openly went to the election campaign with the Zenophobic slogan “Japanese first” and accused the government of pursuing “hidden immigration policy”.
The number of foreign residents in Japan increased by 10% to just 4 million in 2024. The SANSEITO party claims that recruiting foreigners as workers to address an aging and shrinking population will disrupt Japan’s social harmony.
Founder Sohe Kamia has modeling her party after the remote option of Germany (AFD) party and other European distance parties.
For people, the Democratic Party, with its charismatic leader Yuchiro Tamki, is now the third most strong strength in the party system that borrows political weight for its main demand for tax cuts.
“Both right -wing parties were able to capitalize on the anger of the younger generations towards the political system,” analyst Tobias Harris told DW.
This article has been translated from German
