This question and answer page seeks to provide a better understanding of Japanese politics. If you have any additional questions, or would like to share your thoughts, please feel free to e-mail me at: nobuteru@nobuteru.or.jp
Please select one of the following eight topics:
- Role of Koenkai
- Political Party Breakdowns in the Diet
- Nagatacho no Ronri
- Japanese Election System
- Party Affiliation of Post-1955 Prime Ministers
- Coalition Government
- Political Role of the Emperor
Q: What is a Koenkai ?
A: Japanese politicians at the local and national level seek to cultivate their own constituent support groups, or koenkai. As campaign finance laws have gradually eroded political parties' influence over electoral outcomes, koenkai have emerged as the most effective way for politicians to engage in year-round campaigning. Each politician's koenkai serves as a loyal support base during elections, assisting with the organization of get-out-the-vote efforts and providing crucial financial backing. In return for this support, politicians provide their koenkai members with various services, such as monthly newsletters, photo opportunities, and group social activities.
Q: What are the political party breakdowns in the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors?
A: For frequently updated figures, you may wish to visit the House of Representatives and House of Councillors websites.
Q: What does the Japanese term "Nagatacho no ronri " mean?
A: The National Diet Building is located in an area of Tokyo known as Nagatacho. Political pundits and voters alike often refer to the Diet's legislative procedures and political wrangling as "Nagatacho no ronri ," or "the logic of Nagatacho." Many Japanese believe their country's politicians, policy secretaries, and political reporters possess a distinct way of analyzing public policy issues. To the average citizen, this unique logic appears disconnected from everyday life and operates under an unwritten, incomprehensible set of rules. Similarly, Americans frequently speak of political operatives in Washington, D.C., as "thinking inside the Beltway." The Beltway constitutes the interstate highway surrounding Washington, D.C., and, like Nagatacho, has become linguistically linked to the political world within its boundaries.
Q: How does the Japanese election system work?
A: House of Representatives (HR): Although the HR's four hundred and eighty members are elected to a four-year term of office, the Prime Minister can dissolve the HR and call for an election at any time. Three hundred members of the HR are elected based on a single-seat system (i.e., three hundred voting districts elect one candidate each). The remaining one hundred and eighty members are drawn from a proportional system in which eleven multi-seat electoral blocks produce between six to thirty members based on population.
Voters cast two ballots: one for a candidate in their single-seat constituency, and one for a political party. The political party vote is used to determine the election outcome in each proportional representation district. Prior to the election, parties submit a ranked list of candidates to each of the eleven proportional representation districts. If a particular proportional representation district elects thirty members, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) wins eighty-percent of the vote, then the LDP receives twenty-four seats (i.e., eighty-percent of thirty). Consequently, the first twenty-four candidates on the LDP's ranked list would receive an HR seat.
House of Councillors (HC): Half of the HC's two hundred and forty-seven members are elected to a six-year term every three years. Unlike the HR, the HC cannot be dissolved. One hundred and forty-seven members come from one of forty-seven constituencies that elect six to eight members based on population. The remaining one hundred members are drawn from a single nationwide district based on the proportional representation system.
Again, voters cast two ballots: a constituency ballot and a proportional representation ballot. On the constituency ballot, voters select an individual candidate. If a particular constituency holds six seats based on its population, then the top-six vote-earners are elected. On the proportional representation ballot, voters can choose either a political party or an individual candidate. Unlike the HR proportional representation system - in which each party submits a ranked list of candidates - the HR system requires an unranked list. Regardless of whether a voter selects a party or a candidate, each vote helps determine the allocation of proportional representation seats. For example, if an LDP candidate receives five thousand votes, the LDP gains five thousand additional party votes. The candidate who receives the most votes within his or her party becomes the highest-ranking person on that party's proportional representation list. If the LDP wins fifty seats (i.e., fifty-percent of the vote), then the LDP's top-fifty vote-earners are elected.
Q: What has been the party affiliation of Japan's post-1955 Prime Ministers?
A: On November 15, 1955, Democratic Party (DP) leader Ichiro Hatoyama and Liberal Party leader Taketora Ogata officially united their conservative parties to form the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). As illustrated in the chart below, the LDP proceeded to dominate Japanese politics for more than a half century. Of the past twenty-six Prime Ministers, only four - Morihiro Hosokawa, Tsutomu Hata, Tomiichi Murayama, and Yukio Hatoyama - have hailed from a party other than the LDP. Interestingly, Hosokawa and Hata were both members of the LDP before defecting to form their own parties. Also, Yukio Hatoyama, who is the grandson of LDP co-founder Ichiro Hatoyama, was a member of the LDP before defecting to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).
As the LDP's dominance began to subside in the 1990s, Japan entered an unprecedented era of political volatility. Between November 1991 and April 2001, the nation experienced the rise and fall of seven Prime Ministers. The average term of office for Prime Ministers during this tumultuous time was a mere sixteen months. Subsequently, Junichiro Koizumi ushered in a period of relative stability, serving as Prime Minister from 2001 through 2006. After Koizumi voluntarily stepped down in 2006, however, Japan had three Prime Ministers - Shinzo Abe, Yasuo Fukuda, and Taro Aso - serve roughly one year each between 2006 and 2009. This renewed political instability culminated in the DPJ's victory over the LDP in the August 2009 general election.
| NAME | PARTY | TERM |
| Ichiro Hatoyama | DP/LDP | 1954-1956 |
| Tanzan Ishibashi | LDP | 1956-1957 |
| Nobusuke Kishi | LDP | 1957-1960 |
| Hayato Ikeda | LDP | 1960-1964 |
| Eisako Sato | LDP | 1964-1972 |
| Kakuei Tanaka | LDP | 1972-1974 |
| Takeo Miki | LDP | 1974-1976 |
| Takeo Fukuda | LDP | 1976-1978 |
| Masayoshi Ohira | LDP | 1978-1980 |
| Zenko Suzuki | LDP | 1980-1982 |
| Yasuhiro Nakasone | LDP | 1982-1987 |
| Noboru Takeshita | LDP | 1987-1989 |
| Sosuke Uno | LDP | 1989 |
| Toshiki Kaifu | LDP | 1989-1991 |
| Kiichi Miyazawa | LDP | 1991-1993 |
| Morihiro Hosokawa | New Party of Japan | 1993-1994 |
| Tsutomu Hata | New Frontier Party | 1994 |
| Tomiichi Murayama | Socialist Party | 1994-1996 |
| Ryutaro Hashimoto | LDP | 1996-1998 |
| Keizo Obuchi | LDP | 1998-2000 |
| Yoshiro Mori | LDP | 2000-2001 |
| Junichiro Koizumi | LDP | 2001-2006 |
| Shinzo Abe | LDP | 2006-2007 |
| Yasuo Fukuda | LDP | 2007-2008 |
| Taro Aso | LDP | 2008-2009 |
| Yukio Hatoyama | DPJ | 2009-Present |
Q: What role have political party coalitions played in Japan's governance during the past decade?
A: The past decade has constituted a period of inter- and intra-party upheaval in Japanese politics. Seeking to gain a majority in both Diet houses, the LDP formed a coalition with the Liberal Party (LP) in 1999. Nine months later, New Komeito (NK) also joined the alliance. Following a series of policy disagreements between LDP Prime Minister Keize Obuchi and LP leader Ichiro Ozawa, however, the LP withdrew from the ruling bloc in April 2000. A mere two days later, twenty-six Diet members left the LP, formed the New Conservative Party (NCP), and rejoined the coalition government. In 2003, the LP merged with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in a bid to challenge the LDP's ruling coalition. Roughly six years later, in 2009, the DPJ won two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives and then ensured control of the House of Councillors by forming a coalition with the Social Democratic Party and People's New Party.
Q: What role does the Emperor play in Japan's political system?
A: Prior to World War II, Japan's Emperor wielded sweeping political powers. In accordance with the Meiji Constitution of 1890, the Emperor possessed sole authority over state affairs and the Imperial Diet served as a mere advisory body. Upon adoption of the post-war Constitution, however, Japan's law-making authority shifted from the Emperor to the newly established National Diet. As stipulated in the Constitution, the Emperor primarily serves as "the symbol of the State" and cannot possess "powers related to government." The Diet on the other hand, serves as "the highest organ of state power" and "the sole law-making authority." Consequently, the Emperor's functions are largely ceremonial, limited to such activities as convening the Diet, presenting awards to deserving citizens, and welcoming foreign ambassadors.
