DPJ’s Bodybuilding

Bipartisan system in Japan is facing a crisis of collapse. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has not recovered from historical defeat in last general election of the House of Representatives last month. Although the party obtained over three hundred seats in the election of 2009, it diminished to the level of fifty-seven this time. With the victory of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) with two hundred ninety-four seats, it is impossible for Japanese parliamentary system to maintain “replaceable” bipartisan system, in this situation. Whether DPJ can regain power depends on how it exercises its bodybuilding as a political party.

The survivors of DPJ looks like losing their minds, realizing the magnitude of their defeat. Because of its smallness, DPJ lawmakers are contained in small rooms, moving from large space they occupied before the election. Meetings are held with small numbers of its members. Most leaders, including former Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, refrained from running for presidential election, emphasizing their responsibility of the defeat.

New president, Banri Kaieda, and chief secretary, Goshi Hosono, started a tour of visiting its local organizations to reestablish the party’s basis. But all they hear is frustration against the handlings of party leaders before the election. Kaieda also announced that the party is going to start a discussion to review its platform. However, there seems to be no solidarity to rebuild the party’s body.

From the beginning of 1998, DPJ has been dependent on local organization, mainly labor unions that had been supported the Socialist Party. Although it introduced liberal lawmakers from LDP and merged with other parties, it could not either build new basis of supporters other than labor parties or erode LDP supporters. It led to the ambivalent concept of the party, in which, for example, new liberalism with willingness of constitution amendment and old socialism with strictly against the amendment co-exist.

One of the choices DPJ facing is whether or not they keep on depending labor unions. Most members want to independent on them to reinforce the party, but former chief secretary, Azuma Koshiishi, asked Japan Teachers Union of support in election of the House of Councillors this summer. As long as DPJ relies on those unions, its political basis will not expand. It needs to extend its arms from labor union to business sectors, from low-income families to more divergent middle class, and from left wing socialists to the majority of political independents.

Japan is on the watershed between moderate peaceful country and militarily active country. If we think how Japan can build better and sustainable relationships with foreign countries, rise or fall of DPJ has crucial meanings.