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Ruling LDP candidate wins big in upper house by-election
YAMAGUCHI, Japan (Kyodo) — The candidate of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party secured an overwhelming victory in a House of Councillors by-election Sunday, boosting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition as it bids to gain control of both houses of parliament.
With the victory of 56-year-old LDP newcomer Kiyoshi Ejima in the four-way contest, the coalition of the LDP and the New Komeito party needs to win 63 seats in July’s House of Councillors election, when half of the chamber’s 242 seats will be up for grabs, to secure control of the upper house.
The closely watched by-election in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, where Abe’s constituency is located, was the first opportunity for voters to deliver a verdict on the policies of the government launched four months ago, including its economic policies centered on aggressive monetary easing and massive public spending to combat Japan’s chronic deflation.
The election was also contested by former Justice Minister Hideo Hiraoka, backed by the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, and two other candidates after the seat was left vacant when then LDP upper house member Nobuo Kishi, who is Abe’s brother, decided to run in last December’s lower house election.
Ejima secured 287,604 of the votes cast, more than double Hiraoka’s 129,784, according to final returns.
However, voter turnout stood at 38.68 percent, down 23.23 percentage points from the upper house election in 2010, according to the prefectural election board.
The government has enjoyed relatively high support ratings ranging from around 60 to 75 percent in various media polls since its launch, apparently reflecting high expectations of an economic turnaround.
The Democrtaic Party of Japan, meanwhile, strongly supported the 59-year-old Hiraoka, who was running as an independent, but failed to turn the tide in its favor. The party led by Banri Kaieda is still struggling to rebuild following its crushing defeat in the December lower house election that ended its three-year rule.
Hiraoka also had the backing of the Green Wind party and the Social Democratic Party.
Ejima’s victory gives the LDP 84 seats in the 242-seat chamber, only one seat less than the DPJ-led alliance in the upper house. But as an upper house member has already announced his intention to leave the DPJ, the two parties are effectively tied.
Abe’s decision to secure Japan’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations was another issue in the by-election, along with the construction of a new nuclear power plant in the Yamaguchi prefectural town of Kaminoseki following the 2011 nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant that has affected the country’s nuclear policy.
Naoko Fujii, 60, a former assembly member of the Japanese Communist Party in the prefectural city of Shunan, and Miwako Kawai, a 50-year-old member of the Happiness Realization Party also contested the seat.
Fujii secured 25,944 votes and Kawai 10,096.
Kyodo News, April 29, 2013
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130429p2g00m0dm004000c.html
LDP Cabinet’s approval rating still in 70s (April 22)
The approval rating for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe remains high at 72.1 percent, up a point from the previous poll, a Kyodo News survey said Sunday.
The CabinetÅfs approval rating has topped 70 percent three times since AbeÅfs Liberal Democratic Party returned to power in December.
The survey, conducted over the weekend, showed that 24.1 percent of those polled think their income will increase under the economic policies of the Abe administration, while 69.2 percent think their income wonÅft increase.
Kyodo News, April 22, 2013
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/22/national/cabinets-approval-rating-still-in-70s/#.UXXwy0pOj1U
Japan Restoration Party: JRP-backed candidates suffer crushing defeats in 2 Hyogo mayoral elections
Japan Restoration Party (JRP)-backed candidates suffered crushing defeats in mayoral elections in the two Hyogo Prefecture cities of Itami and Takarazuka on April 14.
The results have dealt a serious blow to the JRP as the elections are widely viewed as decisive tests for the House of Councillors election this coming summer.
In a related development, candidates supported by the local chapters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner New Komeito lost the mayoral elections of Aomori and the Fukushima Prefecture city of Koriyama on the same day. It shows that the effects of so-called “Abenomics,” or economic policies being promoted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, were limited even though his government enjoys high approval ratings.
In Itami, Yasuyuki Fujiwara, 58, backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), its coalition partner New Komeito and the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), was elected to a third term, beating Toshiyuki Iwaki, 52, fielded by the JRP.
DPJ-backed Tomoko Nakagawa, 65, also won re-election as Takarazuka mayor, defeating Koichiro Tada, 40, supported by the JRP. The voter turnout in Itami and Takarazuka stood at 41.92 percent and 45.94 percent, respectively.
During the campaigns for both elections, JRP co-leader and Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto visited the two cities on two occasions to deliver campaign speeches, criticizing civil servants and calling for drastic reform of both municipal governments.
Itami and Takarazuka lie in the suburbs of Osaka and many residents commute to Osaka. The JRP won the largest percentage — about 30 percent — of votes cast in the proportional representation poll of last December’s House of Representatives election in these cities, and the JRP put considerable energy into these elections, believing its chances of winning were quite high.
However, other candidates criticized Hashimoto for insisting that Osaka Airport in Itami should be closed. Moreover, a senior member of the JRP unveiled a plan to transform the city of Kobe and the Hanshin district situated between Osaka and Kobe into special wards shortly before the mayoral races, sparking a campaign to protect Hyogo from the JRP.
Mainichi Shimbun, April 15, 2013
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130415p2a00m0na010000c.html
Japan Restoration Party: Hashimoto tops 1 million Twitter follower mark
OSAKA — Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, coleader of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party), has crossed the threshold of 1 million followers on his Twitter social-networking account, reflecting strong public attention rarely enjoyed by other politicians.
Hashimoto posted over 9,000 tweets during the two years and two months until Sunday, when the 1 million mark was achieved, often using the microblog as a platform to express his resolve for political and economic reforms as well as to criticize the media and intellectuals he disagrees with.
According to his Twitter timeline, the mayor posted his first message on Feb. 1, 2011. Postings varied, ranging from 28 to 1,025 messages per month.
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, Hashimoto had added another 5,700 followers.
Hashimoto continued tweeting during last DecemberÅfs general elections, when the government said such an act could infringe on the election law forbidding the use of the Internet for campaigning. Lawmakers are deliberating legislation to lift the ban ahead of the July Upper House election.
Kyodo News, April 3, 2013
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/03/national/hashimoto-tops-1-million-twitter-follower-mark/#.UWPR-PJUpWE
Japan Restoration Party: Nippon Ishin unveils new platform at convention
OSAKA — At its first-ever convention Saturday, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) introduced 33 candidates for this summer’s Upper House election and a new platform that calls for revising the “Occupation Constitution,” conserving the nation’s “good traditions,” and promoting a society based on regional creativity and free markets.
But with questions surrounding the health of 80-year-old coleader Shintaro Ishihara, who was only released from the hospital Friday more than a month after suffering a minor stroke, and policies similar to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Your Party, Nippon Ishin continues to face confusion about its future among voters, potential candidates and a growing number of its own members.
In its new platform adopted Saturday, Nippon Ishin said it will proudly embrace JapanÅfs history and culture. “While conserving those traditions that are good, we will create an open society that mutually recognizes diverse values,” the platform says.
Specifically, it calls for action in eight areas. At the top of the list, and heavily pushed by Ishihara and Nippon Ishin Diet head Takeo Hiranuma, is a pledge to substantially revise what the party calls the Occupation Constitution, a reference to the belief among its members that the current Constitution was forced on Japan by the United States during the postwar Occupation.
In a video conference with Ishihara in Tokyo, he and Nippon Ishin cochief Toru Hashimoto discussed the Constitution and the need for revision. Drafted by the U.S.-led Occupation with input from the Japanese government, the Constitution was approved by the Diet and went into effect in 1947.
“What’s important is that we ensure that the ruling coalition does not win a majority (in the Upper House). But just because we’re an opposition party doesn’t mean we’re going to oppose everything,” Hashimoto said. “Revising the Constitution, especially Article 96, which requires constitutional amendments be approved by a two-thirds supermajority, is crucial.”
Other previous Nippon Ishin goals including greater regionalization and educational reform remain unchanged.
One new addition is a pledge to re-establish trust and cooperation between different generations of workers, especially between older employees who are soon to retire and the younger generation of part-timers who grew up after the collapse of the bubble economy more than two decades ago.
However, closing the generation gap within Nippon Ishin itself is proving a tough challenge. Public arguments between Hashimoto, 43, who also serves as Osaka mayor, and Nippon Ishin’s Diet members led by Ishihara ally Hiranuma, 73, have created the image of a divided party. The 33 candidates introduced Saturday to run in July’s House of Councilors election were far less than the party had originally hoped.
At the same time, Hashimoto is stepping up his overtures to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and spent much of his opening address to the convention praising AbeÅfs leadership, especially his handling of the U.S. Futenma air baseÅfs relocation within Okinawa. But he also said Nippon Ishin needs to show voters how it differs from AbeÅfs LDP.
“My praise is for Abe, not the LDP. We’ll show voters how our policies are different,” Hashimoto said.
Eric Johnston, Japan Times Staff Writer, March 30, 2013
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/30/national/nippon-ishin-unveils-new-platform-at-convention/#.UWNeMvJUpWE
Support for Abe Cabinet stays at 61%
The support rate for of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet stood at 61.4 percent in March, unchanged from the previous month and continuing its high levels 21/2 months after its launch, an opinion poll showed Friday.
The disapproval rating fell 0.8 percentage point to 16.7 percent, according to the poll, which was conducted for four days from March 8. Meanwhile, support for AbeÅfs Liberal Democratic Party rose 1.7 points to 28.2 percent, up for the third consecutive month.
The high support level apparently reflects the public’s positive assessments of the yen’s depreciation and soaring stock prices on the back of expectations for Abe’s deflation-combating economic policies, as well as the government’s firm stance against North Korea’s nuclear test in February.
The LDP’s junior ally in the ruling coalition, New Komeito, saw its support rise 1.0 point to 4.3 percent.
In the opposition camp, backing for the Democratic Party of Japan sagged 1.3 points to 4.2 percent, the lowest level since it lost power in December’s general election. Meanwhile, Nippon Ishin No Kai (Japan Restoration Party) garnered 2.0 percent support, followed by Your Party at 1.4 percent and the Japanese Communist Party at 1.3 percent.
Jiji Press, March 16, 2013
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/16/national/support-for-abe-cabinet-stays-at-61/#.UU-xcjfA55s
41% plan to vote for LDP in proportional representation section of upper house election
Forty-one percent of respondents to a new survey by the Mainichi Shimbun say they plan to vote for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the proportional representation section of the House of Councillors election this summer.
The figure represented a gain of 8 percentage points from the last poll in February.
The LDP was followed by the Japan Restoration Party (JRP) at 13 percent, a decline of 2 points; the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) at 7 percent, unchanged from February; and Your Party at 5 percent, down sharply from 9 percent. Of non-affiliated respondents, 16 percent said they intend to vote for the LDP and 10 percent singled out the JRP.
Mainichi Shimbun, March 18, 2013
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130318p2a00m0na006000c.html
Abe administration: Abe’s success with BOJ picks likely to boost LDP prospects for July poll
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is riding a popularity wave unseen by six immediate predecessors, including himself in his first short-lived stint, as he pushes his Bank of Japan nominees through a divided Diet, raising the odds of the ruling party winning a July election.
Buoyed by a surge in the benchmark stock index to a 41/2-year high – spurred by his antideflation policy – Abe has the highest approval ratings since the popular Junichiro Koizumi stepped down in 2006 and he was installed without a general election. This week he may secure his biggest achievement since he took the helm in December, with the Democratic Party of Japan, now the largest opposition force, signaling it will back Haruhiko Kuroda for BOJ chief.
With analysts from Citigroup Inc. to Barclays PLC raising growth forecasts, an improving economic outlook gives the ruling Liberal Democratic Party a tailwind heading into the July election for the Upper House, which it doesn’t control. A win may bring an end to an annual revolving-door of leaders, and give Abe a mandate to pursue free-trade talks opposed by farmers.
“This will be seen as a significant victory for his inflation-targeting policies and for his political skill,” said Gerald Curtis, a professor of Japanese politics at Columbia University in New York, referring to approval of the BOJ picks. “It’s probably enough for him to win convincingly in the Upper House election. Now the question is what he will do when he gets to the really hard issues, like structural reform.”
The last time the LDP held a majority in both chambers of the Diet was during the 58-year-old Abe’s first term as prime minister, in 2006 to 2007. In December, he led the party to victory in the Lower House pledging to fire “three arrows” into the economy to end two decades of stagnation.
His first shot is poised to hit home, with Kuroda, who has backed greater monetary stimulus, Monday completing confirmation hearings. Lawmakers in the DPJ, which makes up the largest party in the Upper House, last month indicated they will vote for Kuroda. The Diet also must vote on academic Kikuo Iwata and BOJ staffer Hiroshi Nakaso as deputy chiefs.
Abe has also introduced a \10.3 trillion fiscal stimulus package as the second point of his three-part plan. The third step is to cut regulations to give businesses greater incentives to invest and hire. His political skills will be tested as he seeks to implement plans outlined in a Feb. 28 speech to reduce record debt, give more autonomy to regions and restructure the bureaucracy.
Among the most contentious initiatives would be joining negotiations for a U.S.-led regional trade agreement, a step members of his own party, including former defense chief Gen Nakatani, oppose. Nakatani said on his website last month it would have “immeasurable effects on agriculture.”
The Trans-Pacific Partnership talks now involve 11 nations. Japan’s participation in such a pact would boost gross domestic product by as must as \3.2 trillion, according to a 2010 government study.
Abe, who discussed the talks with U.S. President Barack Obama last month, said last week that “it’s in Japan’s interest to pursue free trade” and that he won’t take too much time before making a decision on the TPP. The ruling party holds its annual convention at the end of this week.
American automakers oppose Japan’s participation unless it eases barriers, and Japanese farmers argue the deal would mean the collapse of their industry should a 778 percent rice tariff be scrapped.
“Abe’s policies seem to be appealing to urban businessmen,” said Aiji Tanaka, a political science professor in Tokyo at Waseda University. “If he pushes through the TPP, he will start losing traditional LDP support,” he said, referring to the rural districts that underpinned the party’s half-century domination of politics before it was upended by the DPJ in 2009.
For now, the prime minister enjoys broad support, with his approval rating reaching 70 percent, according to a Feb. 25 Nikkei newspaper poll. He is the first leader to see his popularity increase in his first month since Koizumi in 2002.
Investors also have applauded. The Nikkei 225 stock average has risen 27 percent and the yen is down 13 percent since the LDP landslide in December. Adding cheer is a turnaround in the economy – fourth-quarter GDP rose an annualized 0.2 percent, and will increase 2 percent this quarter, a Bloomberg News survey of economists indicates.
Meantime, the DPJ’s poll trouncing has left it reluctant to confront Abe. The party ousted the LDP in 2009 only to see initial public inspiration evaporate as it repeated the former ruling party’s record of revolving-door leaders, Cabinet reshuffles, gaffe-driven ministerial resignations and campaign-finance scandal.
“The DPJ has in effect collapsed, they can’t be unreasonable anymore,” said Minoru Morita, an independent political analyst in Tokyo. “They were severely criticized by the public in the election and they’ve decided not to oppose appointments in most cases.”
An Upper House victory would give Abe more than three years before facing the electorate again, potentially making him the longest-serving prime minister since Koizumi. A poll published by Kyodo News on Feb. 25 found that 41.7 percent of respondents planned to vote for the LDP in July’s vote.
Abe quit after a year his first time as prime minister, plagued by party scandals and pleading ill health. While an election victory will mark another point of redemption, he must grapple with Japan’s record debt and the impact of a planned increase in the 5 percent sales tax starting next year.
“I think the real battle comes after the election,” said LDP lawmaker Masahiko Shibayama. “What will he do about spending cuts and the pain that will come from easing regulations? He has strong support, but trust could disappear rapidly if he gets this wrong.”
Isabel Reynolds, Bloomberg, March 12, 2013
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/12/business/abes-success-with-boj-picks-likely-to-boost-ldp-prospects-for-july-poll/#.UT_1EzcwgaE
Abe Cabinet’s approval rating soars to 72.8%: latest poll
The approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet has risen 6.1 percentage points to 72.8 percent, exceeding the 70 percent threshold for the first time since the failed Democratic Party of Japan administration was launched in September 2009, a survey showed Sunday.
The Cabinet’s disapproval rating came to just 16.2 percent, according to its findings.
The poll, conducted over the weekend, also revealed that 63.0 percent of the respondents backed JapanÅfs entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, a 10-point spike since the previous survey in January.
The mounting support for joining the TPP negotiations was attributed to the agreement jointly announced Friday by Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama, under which Japan will not have to pledge to abolish all trade tariffs if it takes part in the multilateral discussions. Abe had previously vowed that Japan would not enter the negotiations if it were first required to end all import tariffs without exception.
Among TPP proponents, 59.2 percent said it is essential for Japan to join the Pacific Rim initiative so it can benefit from the global expansion of free-trade deals, while 43.0 percent believed the move would increase exports and allow Japanese companies to better compete with their global rivals, according to the survey.
Among those who remained opposed to the TPP, 45.4 percent were concerned about the negative impact on the nationÅfs agriculture industry and environment, and 39.7 percent said the anticipated rush of cheap farm imports would damage small and midsize farming businesses.
Meanwhile, the survey showed that 34.2 percent of those who supported the Abe Cabinet also believed its drastic economic policies are necessary.
By party, Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party was backed by 46.9 percent of the respondents, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) by 8.3 percent, New Komeito – the LDP’s junior partner in the ruling coalition – by 5.5 percent, Your Party by 3.0 percent, the Japanese Communist Party by 2.2 percent, the Social Democratic Party by 1.0 percent and Seikatsu no To (Lifestyle Party) by 0.8 percent.
The support rate for the Democratic Party of Japan, whose three-year term in office came to an abrupt end in the Dec. 16 Lower House election, stood at a mere 6.0 percent, the lowest level since the party’s launch in 1998.
Around 25.1 percent of those canvassed said they do not support a specific party.
Asked who they intend to vote for in the House of Councilors election this summer, 41.7 percent said will support the LDP while 9.5 percent plan to back Nippon Ishin. Only 6.1 percent intend to cast their ballot for the DPJ, the survey found.
On Japan’s self-imposed ban on exercising the right to collective self-defense, 48.8 percent of the respondents approved of the restriction, against 43.4 percent who believed the nation should be allowed to come to the defense of an ally under armed attack.
On Japan’s potential responses to North Korea’s latest nuclear test, 61.5 percent said the government needs to increase political and economic pressure on Pyongyang, far exceeding the 33.5 percent who opted for dialogue with Kim Jong Un’s regime, the survey found.
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