Opposition Still in Quagmire

One year after the victory in the election of House of Representatives, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stably been handling the administration without any major obstruction in the politics. Who’s responsible? The opposite parties are too weak to stop unilateral advance of current administration. Alternative coalition has not been built among the argument over policies.

One year has passed on Monday, since Katsuya Okada took seat of President of Democratic Party of Japan. In his new year press conference on January 5^th, he stressed his stance opposing new security legislation and focused on young voters to appeal DPJ policies. “While Prime Minister Abe said challenge, challenge and challenge, I would emphasize that this it the year for the young, young and young,” said Okada.

This is the second term for Okada to be President of DPJ. To present alternatives of Abe’s policy, Okada firmly kept his standpoint away from Abe administration. While he had been dealing with new security policy in a fair and just manner, Okada changed his mind to take strong opposition as the attitude against Abe administration. It was necessary for him to win the presidential election a year ago with broad support from liberal lawmakers in DPJ.

Okada dismissed the request from conservative members of DPJ to submit alternative bills for security policy. In the discussion of the Diet, he just kept on saying that new security legislation was unconstitutional. The conservatives in DPJ regretted that exploring realistic security policy became obsolete in this party. Now, DPJ looks like painted with the color of liberal.

But, strategy for building opposite parties’ coalition has not been working. Okada sought common ground with Japan Communist Party, which has small but certain supporting basis in every election. However, when JCP Chairman, Kazuo Shii, launched initiative for “national coalition government,” Okada had to dismiss it with firm opposition inside DPJ. In the election in 5^th District of Hokkaido to supplement an empty seat for passed former Speaker of House of Representatives, Nobutaka Machimura, DPJ lost support of a major local party, which opposed coalition with JCP.

Innovation Party requires DPJ party integration. Because DPJ has to dissolve itself for the integration, Okada has not decided on the issue. One year has passed without any major decision for a breakthrough. While DPJ is still a group of anti-Liberal Democratic Party, the opposite coalition is one of the few options. But, “undecided” is still the party platform of DPJ.