http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/world/asia/conservative-liberal-democratic-party-nearing-a-return-to-power-in-japan.html?ref=world&_r=0&pagewanted=all
Yesterday the Japanese people went to the poll in parliamentary elections for their lower house. The results have shown the long-dominant conservative Liberal Democratic Party led by former PM Shinzo Abe return to power with a fairly large majority while the reformist and liberal Democratic Party got crushed, losing most of their seats not just at the expense of the LDP but various smaller parties due to the feeling that the latter did not keep their promise of reform and various economic troubles and stagnation.
So looks like nuclear power may actually have a shot at survival in Japan.
I’ve heard that the new Japanese PM is a hawk in foreign policy and is taking a firm stance with China over disputed territory. It will be interesting to see what happens.
I think I speak for everyone in China when I say GOD FUCKING DAMN IT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE DON’T NEED RIGHT NOW, SON OF A BITCH.
Sort of funny that people are treating an electoral win by a party that has controlled Japan for 54 out of the last 57 years, and that is being led by a guy that was already Prime Minister back in the distant past of 2007, as some sort of unknown.
I suspect what will happen regarding China and other issues (except for nuclear power, which with the recent disaster is sort of a new issue) is pretty much the same as the status-quo for the last few decades.
It’s a fascinating (in entirely expected) result. Abe’s becoming PM was generally regarded as what started the LDP on their road to collapse. There were a lot of people in and out of Japan left scratching their heads after he won the LDP leadership election.
Abe’s not at all popular in Japan (in a recent poll of voters given a choice between him and now-former PM Noda, only 34% said Abe should be PM.) The LDP’s not particularly popular, either. He’s been focusing on the economy in his public statements and his post-victory statements have acknowledged the weakness of his popular support, so I think he may have learned his lesson regarding being too hawkish (or not). I don’t remember him actually doing much re: foreign policy during his last government other than make a few stupid statements. His biggest policy was pushing for constitutional revision, but I think that ship has sailed. Also, the LDP is dependent on their alliance partners the New Komeito (who are considerably more dovish) for their supermajority.
On a final note, I’ve been distressed to see people reading too much into the JRP’s third-place finish and talking about “Japan’s rightward shift”. I’d just like to say that while Ishihara (nominal leader of the party) might be a right-wing asshole, I don’t think most JRP voters agreed with him. Also, much of their votes came just because they seemed to be a credible party that wasn’t the LDP or DPJ.
Overall, I think this result will be beneficial to Japan, if only because that supermajority will put an end to the gridlock that the country has suffered from only the last few years. The LDP and DPJ aren’t really all that different in terms of policy and barring a few notable exceptions, Japanese prime ministers don’t have a whole lot of power. On the flip side, this win probably means that any hope of real electoral reform is dead (the current electoral map has been ruled unconstitutional).
Shrug China’s really in no position to complain. They’re the ones who have really been driving tensions in the region.
I read that Abe is likely to start spending more on infrastructure, and more likely to provide government stimulus. I’m as worried as anyone here in Singapore about Japanese nationalism (WWII wasn’t all that long ago in these parts), but honestly, right now, I’m far more worried about China. If Abe manages to kick Japan’s economy into gear again, I’ll be happy to let China and Japan fight it out.
Besides, Shinzo Abe, the guy who practically apologised to China about Yasakuni? That Abe? I’m hoping that he didn’t suddenly take a hard turn to the right when everyone wasn’t looking, but right now, I’d rather a Japanese economic powerhouse, rather than China having all the military and economic might.