Victory of Leading Coalition

Thanking to the own goals of his opposites, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe enjoyed sweeping victory in the election of House of Representatives on Sunday. The leading coalition of Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito occupied two-third majority in the House, securing enough seats for the initiative of constitutional amendment. Receiving the votes against Abe administration, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan grabbed the status of the first opposite party. Party of Hope has sunk in criticisms on opaqueness of major policies.

LDP secured 283 seats at the time of Monday morning, mostly reaching its seats in the House before dissolution. The party took 217 electoral districts out of all 289, in most of which the opposite parties raised multiple candidates dividing anti-Abe votes. Traditional supporters of Democratic Party, represented by Japan Trade Union Confederation, did not fully support the deserters to Party of Hope. LDP enjoyed profits of someone else.

Although it had been expected that LDP would significantly lose its seats, possibly as much as 50, the result gave the leading coalition absolute majority. “There still are critical voices against me or LDP. CDPJ have received them. Recognizing it firmly, I am going to accept the result in a humble manner. We are promoting discussion with the opposite parties,” Abe told with surprise of LDP’s victory.

New phenomenon in Japanese politics was clear advance of CDPJ. While the deserters of DP faced a criticism that it was actually a supplemental power of LDP, CDPJ presented itself as anti-Abe and anti-LDP party. There actually was frustration with Abe’s unilateral handling of politics or biased economic policy. CDPJ enjoyed good support from independent voters.

One important element for CDPJ was cooperation with Japan Communist Party. Most CDPJ winners in electoral districts could not make it without firm support of JCP. It is inevitable that CDPJ will have to cooperate with JCP over important issues in the Diet. If those two parties fail in reaching an agreement in constitutional amendment or consumption tax hike, the cooperation will end up with temporary phenomenon.

Party of Hope is in jeopardy of elimination. Its president, or governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, may be stepping down. There is no other political figure that can maintain its popularity. Although some winners consider to go back to Democratic Party, they will receive firm criticism about their reckless behavior to go and back between parties. After all, the opposite parties keep on losing power.