No. 1233 Results of General Election and our Tasks
Results of the recent general election tells that the Japanese government has shifted to a further right direction, led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the Komeito and the Ishin (the Renovation Party), and that we face a critical phase to counter these political forces. We must analyze sincerely weakness exhibited inside the opposition front during the campaign period. We have to prepare ourselves for the coming Upper House election scheduled in summer.
LET’S DEVELOP JOINT STRUGGLES AND BUILD UP CORE TO DEFEND CONSTITUTION!
The four opposition parties, arranging candidates in the constituencies in line with the agreements to fight in unity, took part in the recent general election to cope with the bloc of the LDP, the Komeito and the Ishin. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), however, decreased their seats in the parliament, with an exception of the Reiwa Party, which has grown in the proportional representation channel. Without involvement of the JCP, the CDP would have retreated further.
Political shift to more rightist position
Reasons why the opposition forces got united lie in the facts that social gaps of the rich and the poor had expanded due to the long rule by the LDP-Komeito coalition and that big businesses had enjoyed tremendous wealth – the phenomena have become clear amid the pandemic. The opposition side appealed concertedly to reduce the consumption tax rate and redistribution of wealth during the campaign.
Meanwhile the LDP, led by new Prime Minister Kishida, proposed to increase the defense budget, without showing any steps to ‘redistribute’ incomes, managed to keep the a sufficient number of seats in the Diet and its coalition partner increased seats. As for the Ishin, it has gained a four-time bigger number of the seats, compared with the last results. It will work actively as a new comer inside the government circle. The general election has shown us a shift to a more rightist direction.
Concerning the income redistribution measures, the opposition bloc did not present a clear, comprehensive package, lacking explanations on its financial sources and ways to extend to recipients. Thus, voters could not distinguish the policy from that of the Ishin. In addition, the opposition side could not effectively cope with the national security policy ‘to intensify defense capabilities’, emphasized by the LDP and the Ishin.
Penetration of chauvinism paralyzes people’s mind and judgment. Even the biggest opposition party, the CDP, remained vague in terms of the banners of ‘a defense budget to occupy 2% of GNP’, ‘possession of military capabilities to attack enemy bases’ and the dispute on the Senkaku Islands. The nuclear power generation issue was a weak point of the ruling parties, but voices to oppose the re-starting the stations were not so strong.
We must be firm. Let’s maintain, without vacillation, the joint efforts of opposition forces in preparing for the 2022 July Upper House election. After the summer, the government forces will again maneuver social opinions toward surging the consumption tax rate.
If the sixth wave of the pandemic begins, the government will use its power more efficiently in legislation to limit personal rights and in mandate of the controversial My Number registration system. All the political parties, except for the JCP and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), agreed to revise the Maritime Safety Agency’s law.
The administration has a good excuse to heighten hostile policies to China, taking advantage of the Senkaku Islands issue. The security circle of the US and Japan has already committed in building bases of the Self Defense Forces of Japan in the Southwestern Islands and deploying US long-range missiles there.
The Land Regulation Act, which was recently enacted, constitutes a means to accomplish these objectives in an authoritarian way. On the other hand, nuclear power generation will go ahead by re-operating at the suspended power plants.
SDP keeps its status
The New Socialist Party (NSP) fought, siding with the SDP during the election campaign. The SDP was on the way of re-building due to confusions brought about by the split, in which major members had been merged into the CDP. But a candidate in Okinawa, Arakaki Kunio, who clearly expressed policies on the national security and diplomacy as well as harshly opposed to re-starting nuclear stations. He has won in the constituency and the party has endured in the stream.
In Niigata Prefecture, a jointly-fielded candidate, Yoneyama Ryuichi, who was recommended by the SDP and supported by the NSP, will work together with the SDP.
Let’s maintain joint struggles of the opposition parties and civic forces! Let’s start building up a core to defend the constitution, Article Nine, in particular, which prohibits a war as a means to settle international conflicts. Let’s work together with the SDP in the proportional representation channel to counter the rightist direction of the country’s politics!
野党４党が候補者調整して自公・維新と対峙したが、立憲、共産両党は議席を減らし、れいわだけが比例で増やした。共産党の協力がなければ立憲はさらに後退しただろう。
座標軸は右に移動
立憲野党を結束させたのは、自公長期政権が生んだ格差・貧困と大企業の暴利を新型コロナ禍が一気に顕在化させた情勢だ。消費税減税、「所得の再分配」をそろって訴えた。
一方、「再分配」の具体策は何ら示さず防衛予算の倍増まで掲げた岸田・自民は議席減を最小限に抑え、公明は増やした。維新は４倍近くに増え政権を左右するだろう。衆院の座標軸は右へ移動した。
立憲野党の所得再分配政策が、財源や給付方式などでなお明快さと総合性に欠け、維新などの政策との違いが見えにくかった。また、自民や維新が積極的に打ち出した「国防強化」路線に有効に対決し得なかったことも大きい。
排外主義の浸透は人々の理性と判断力を麻痺させる。「防衛費ＧＤＰ比２％」や「敵基地攻撃能力保有」論や尖閣防衛などに対して、立憲民主党もあいまいだった。原発問題は自公の弱点だったのに、「再稼働」反対の訴えは少なかった。
来夏の参院選に向け、揺らぐことなく野党共闘を堅持しよう。参院選後には消費税増税の世論工作が再開するだろう。コロナ第六波が来れば私権制限の立法やマイナンバー制度強制が企てられる。社民と共産を除く全政党が「海上保安庁法改定」を唱えた。
政府も尖閣問題で対中国防強化の突破口にしやすい。南西諸島の自衛隊基地化、米軍の長距離ミサイル配備は日米間で協議されている。「土地規制法」はこれらを強権的に推進する準備だ。また、原発再稼働は一段と促進されるだろう。
社民、踏み止まる
新社会党は社民党支援を軸に闘った。立憲合流問題で混乱し再建途上の社民党は、安保・外交や原発で明快に訴え、沖縄で新垣邦男氏が勝って踏み止まった。
新潟では、社民党推薦で新社会党も尽力して勝利した野党共闘の米山隆一氏と社民党は連携する。参院選でも野党共闘を前進させるとともに、社民党を軸とした比例の共同で右傾化と対決する護憲派の核を育てる準備を始めよう。
英訳版↓
No. 1233 Results of General Election and our Tasks
Results of the recent general election tells that the Japanese government has shifted to a further right direction, led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the Komeito and the Ishin (the Renovation Party), and that we face a critical phase to counter these political forces. We must analyze sincerely weakness exhibited inside the opposition front during the campaign period. We have to prepare ourselves for the coming Upper House election scheduled in summer.
LET’S DEVELOP JOINT STRUGGLES AND BUILD UP CORE TO DEFEND CONSTITUTION!
The four opposition parties, arranging candidates in the constituencies in line with the agreements to fight in unity, took part in the recent general election to cope with the bloc of the LDP, the Komeito and the Ishin. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), however, decreased their seats in the parliament, with an exception of the Reiwa Party, which has grown in the proportional representation channel. Without involvement of the JCP, the CDP would have retreated further.
Political shift to more rightist position
Reasons why the opposition forces got united lie in the facts that social gaps of the rich and the poor had expanded due to the long rule by the LDP-Komeito coalition and that big businesses had enjoyed tremendous wealth – the phenomena have become clear amid the pandemic. The opposition side appealed concertedly to reduce the consumption tax rate and redistribution of wealth during the campaign.
Meanwhile the LDP, led by new Prime Minister Kishida, proposed to increase the defense budget, without showing any steps to ‘redistribute’ incomes, managed to keep the a sufficient number of seats in the Diet and its coalition partner increased seats. As for the Ishin, it has gained a four-time bigger number of the seats, compared with the last results. It will work actively as a new comer inside the government circle. The general election has shown us a shift to a more rightist direction.
Concerning the income redistribution measures, the opposition bloc did not present a clear, comprehensive package, lacking explanations on its financial sources and ways to extend to recipients. Thus, voters could not distinguish the policy from that of the Ishin. In addition, the opposition side could not effectively cope with the national security policy ‘to intensify defense capabilities’, emphasized by the LDP and the Ishin.
Penetration of chauvinism paralyzes people’s mind and judgment. Even the biggest opposition party, the CDP, remained vague in terms of the banners of ‘a defense budget to occupy 2% of GNP’, ‘possession of military capabilities to attack enemy bases’ and the dispute on the Senkaku Islands. The nuclear power generation issue was a weak point of the ruling parties, but voices to oppose the re-starting the stations were not so strong.
We must be firm. Let’s maintain, without vacillation, the joint efforts of opposition forces in preparing for the 2022 July Upper House election. After the summer, the government forces will again maneuver social opinions toward surging the consumption tax rate.
If the sixth wave of the pandemic begins, the government will use its power more efficiently in legislation to limit personal rights and in mandate of the controversial My Number registration system. All the political parties, except for the JCP and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), agreed to revise the Maritime Safety Agency’s law.
The administration has a good excuse to heighten hostile policies to China, taking advantage of the Senkaku Islands issue. The security circle of the US and Japan has already committed in building bases of the Self Defense Forces of Japan in the Southwestern Islands and deploying US long-range missiles there.
The Land Regulation Act, which was recently enacted, constitutes a means to accomplish these objectives in an authoritarian way. On the other hand, nuclear power generation will go ahead by re-operating at the suspended power plants.
SDP keeps its status
The New Socialist Party (NSP) fought, siding with the SDP during the election campaign. The SDP was on the way of re-building due to confusions brought about by the split, in which major members had been merged into the CDP. But a candidate in Okinawa, Arakaki Kunio, who clearly expressed policies on the national security and diplomacy as well as harshly opposed to re-starting nuclear stations. He has won in the constituency and the party has endured in the stream.
In Niigata Prefecture, a jointly-fielded candidate, Yoneyama Ryuichi, who was recommended by the SDP and supported by the NSP, will work together with the SDP.
Let’s maintain joint struggles of the opposition parties and civic forces! Let’s start building up a core to defend the constitution, Article Nine, in particular, which prohibits a war as a means to settle international conflicts. Let’s work together with the SDP in the proportional representation channel to counter the rightist direction of the country’s politics!
November 10, 2021