Japan: Political instability

Japan went for election on December 16, 2012 after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) dissolved Japan’s parliament, The National Diet (Japan’s bicameral legislature), on November 16. A series of scandals (linking the party with the underworld) had damaged the party’s reputation badly.  Amidst these upheavals, the DPJ shared a symbiotic relationship with the organised crime world. So much so that Justice Minister Keishu Tanaka (of DJP) was found to be linked with Yakuza, Japan’s organised crime groups. Even the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was found to have similar relationship with it during (and even after) its political reign.

The Diet is seen as holding sway to the dysfunction of its parliamentary system raising doubt over the justification of the double-tier system. The Lower House can be challenged by the Upper House by merely a simple majority, thus putting the bills ratified by the former at a mercy of the latter. Such lopsided power equation had forced many PMs to resign from the post in the past. The case in point is the resignation of Shinzo Abe of Liberal Democratic Party over a confrontation with the DPJ, who has been controlling the Upper House since July 2007. The crossing of swords centred around passing of a Bill that proposed to support Japan’s refuelling mission in Indian Ocean with the backing of US operations. The hindrance of passing the bills because of the two-third rule is often seen as primary cause for the frustrated prime ministers to resign.

However, the election that took place on December 16, 2012 brought a new wave of change. The DPJ party faced a severe blow and had to vacate the chairs for LDP party members. The newly elected Party, with Shinzo Abe as the PM, is no saint either. He was publicly spotted with two criminals (prosecuted for financial crimes) in June 2008. In the past too, he was forced to resign after his party members were found working for the underworld.  Not losing hope, Abe selected new members and swept the elections with his new team of clean people. However, Abe’s work of rechristening the party has still to go a long way. Not only he needs to make sure that his new members are untouched by Yakuza’s influence but also need to revamp Japan’s stagnant economy.

But his policies are a far cry from a judicious approach. He has decided to hike government spending to $2.4 trillion for the public-works program spread out over the next decade. The question remains: how is the resource-crunched country with high deficits going to amass such huge wealth? Is it really going to serve the country well? For Abe, the journey will not be easy. Along with ensuring political reforms he needs to stabilise Japan’s stagnant economy as well. A minor flaw in his policies may make him see the exit door, instantly.