Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party Gets Replaced
On Sunday, July 20th, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was outvoted during their election against a new right-wing populist group. Led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, they had lost 19 out of 66 that were up for re-election, causing them to lose the election, and are now called to step down after their defeat.
Even after most of their seats in the election were lost, Mr. Ishiba vowed to stay on. The Liberal Democrats have led Japan for the past 70 years, but they have now been defeated by groups of younger peers. Among these groups was Sunseito, a party of populists led by one politician who had been inspired by Trump. They managed to win over many of the younger people who were assigned to vote in the election by mentioning appeals like military strengthening and cutting the consumption tax. According to The New York Times, “…the biggest gains were made not by the traditional liberal opposition, but by a gaggle of new parties that drew younger voters with stridently
nationalist messages.” This clearly shows that by drawing in younger people to vote for their group, they could gain a lot more than the past Liberal Democrats.
In addition to having lots of good competition, Mr. Ishiba was also called to step down from the competitive voting, since the polls were predicted to have a poor showing for his group after the election. According to the New York Times, before the polls were shown, “Taro Aso, a former deputy prime minister, said he ‘couldn’t accept’ Mr. Ishiba staying on as prime minister, TV Asahi reported”. This clarifies that even though the previous democratic party has been leading for a very long time in the past, people are starting to think it’s time for them to step down.
There have also been analyst reports that claim Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may be having a hard time maintaining the loyalty of people in his team, due to the fact that he lost another election a year ago, which led the Liberal Democrats to lose power in a majority of the lower house. He barely managed to survive with enough votes to form a minority government. According to the New York Times, “I don’t see how the L.D.P. stays with someone who has led them to two defeats in both houses,” said Tobias Harris, founder of Japan Foresight, a firm that advises clients on Japanese politics. This proves that Mr. Ishiba is very likely to lose his own team soon due to the two losses in a row.
Many voters who have been interviewed say it’s time for a change. Time for a new party to take control of the Liberal Democrats, claiming the old one has stopped supporting Japan in the way they would’ve liked to see it, especially in agriculture control and tariffs with the U.S. At the end of the day, a new party has replaced the previous L.P.D of Japan and has the country’s support.
