Japan Election: The Election That Signals a Change of Power

Japanese voters will go to the polls in a snap election for the House of Representatives on December 16. This is a general election with a record number of political parties participating in the Land of the Rising Sun and is especially attracting the attention of voters because the people of the "cherry blossom country" hope that the election can bring about changes for the better.

The election is likely to mark the return to power of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) after more than three years of government by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

LDP President Shinzo Abe. (Source: AFP/VNA)

1,504 candidates from 12 political parties and independent candidates have registered to run for 480 seats in the House of Representatives. In the context of the Japanese economy continuing to show signs of recession due to the impact of the European debt crisis and the rising yen, Japanese voters are very interested in the economic and financial policies of the parties because those policies will directly affect their lives.

According to a poll conducted by the Nihon Keizai newspaper, Japanese public opinion currently highly values ​​the LDP's economic policy, which focuses on pulling the country out of deflation, dealing with the rising yen, and restoring the economy after the earthquake-tsunami disaster and the Fukushima nuclear accident. However, the social insurance policy and financial reconstruction proposed by the ruling DPJ also receive widespread support from voters.

Following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, energy policy has attracted special attention from the Japanese public. Under strong pressure from the domestic anti-nuclear movement, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and the DPJ decided to include in their election platform a roadmap to completely eliminate nuclear power by 2030 and encourage the development and use of alternative energy sources.

However, this policy has met with opposition from businesses because they are concerned that high electricity costs and unstable supply will affect their production and competitiveness. Moreover, to research and produce electricity from renewable energy sources requires a huge amount of time and money.

Meanwhile, LDP President Shinzo Abe said that the goal of “zero nuclear power” is ideal, but the LDP will prioritize ensuring a stable power supply and pledged to draft the “best policy mix for power supply structure” within the next 10 years. This LDP plan has won the support of Japanese businesses.

Foreign policy and national security are also emphasized by political parties in their election platforms in the context of North Korea's successful satellite launch and China's increased activities in the waters near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.

With the exception of the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party, which oppose the alliance with the United States, including plans to redeploy US troops in Japan, most other parties emphasize the importance of this relationship in ensuring the security of Japan and the region.

While the DPJ advocates peaceful and stable management of the Senkaku Islands, the LDP advocates sending permanent civil servants to the islands for effective management. The LDP also wants to upgrade the defense force to a regular army. This plan of the LDP is believed to be aimed at winning votes from nationalist voters, although in reality, they are unlikely to implement this policy due to the need to consider the relationship with China.

One notable point in the upcoming Lower House election is the trend of new small parties joining forces and merging to become a "third force" in Japanese politics. The Japan Restoration Party, founded by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, has just merged with the Sun Party of former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara and several other small parties, while the Future of Japan Party has joined forces with the People's Lives First Party.

However, some experts believe that the hasty merger of small parties has made them not really unified in their policies and therefore, unlikely to become powerful organizations. In addition, Prime Minister Noda's earlier-than-expected dissolution of the House of Representatives has given the newly formed parties little time to prepare a solid political base and adjust their election policies accordingly. Therefore, it is unlikely that the "third force" will play an important role in Japanese politics after the election.

Although the ruling DPJ has drafted a more realistic election platform than the election three years ago, it seems that it has not created much attraction for voters because what the party has shown during its recent time in power has not really met the expectations of the people of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Polls close to the election day show that the LDP is currently in the lead, and may even win a majority in the House of Representatives. It is likely that the LDP will form a coalition with the New Komeito Party to form a government, and Shinzo Abe will once again become prime minister. However, because there are many differences in policy between the LDP and the New Komeito Party, the two parties need to adjust themselves to avoid confrontation in the operation of the government.

Regardless of which party takes power after December 16, they will face extremely difficult tasks, especially restoring Japan's economic position and handling complex international relations./.

According to (TTXVN) - DT