In a surprising turn of events, exit polls from today’s general election suggest Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partners could lose their majority in the House of Commons. The situation has given rise to speculation about the composition of the country’s next government.
The Liberal Democratic Party is the dominant force in Japan’s political landscape and has ruled for almost the entire postwar period. However, history shows that party control has fluctuated from time to time. In 1983, despite predictions of an easy victory, the Liberal Democratic Party failed to secure a majority, resulting in the lowest voter turnout since the war. As a result, the party was forced to form a coalition with the New Liberal Club to maintain power.
The current Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, debuted in the Diet in 1986 after a short career in the banking industry. The Liberal Democratic Party has faced difficulties in the past, such as in 1993 when corruption scandals caused it to lose its majority again. At that time, seven opposition parties, including two offshoots of the Liberal Democratic Party, formed a coalition government, excluding the Liberal Democratic Party from government for the first time since the party was formed in 1955. However, due to internal conflicts within the coalition government, it collapsed within a year.
In 2000, the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, faced a crisis, but Obuchi suffered a stroke, leaving Yoshiro Mori as prime minister. Mori’s gaffe caused the party’s popularity to plummet, and in the ensuing general election, the Liberal Democratic Party was forced to rely on an alliance with the New Komeito Party, which is backed by major secular Buddhist groups, to maintain its hold on power.
The coalition government faltered again in 2009 during the global financial crisis, but then the Democratic Party won a landslide victory. However, the Democratic Party’s response to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster was severely criticized, and the Liberal Democratic Party regained power in the 2012 election. The Democratic Party eventually disbanded in 2016, and its remnants formed the current state. The main opposition party was the Constitutional Democratic Party, and the minority formed the Democratic Party of the People.
As citizens head to the polls today, some accompanied by children dressed up in Halloween costumes, the future of Japan’s government is at stake. The final results of the election are awaited to see whether the Liberal Democratic Party will be able to maintain long-term power.
Reuters contributed to this article.
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