On Sunday the 21st of July, Japanese citizens went to the polls to elect 124 members of House of Councillors, the upper house of its bicameral parliament commonly referred to as the National Diet of Japan. The parliamentary election produced a few firsts and presented new opportunities for the people.
Here are somehighlights of the election:
- The Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 57 seats.
- Komeito, which is part of the coalition of the current government, won 14 seats.
- Altogether, the ruling coalition and the like-minded, Japan Innovation party won 81 seats, short of a two-thirds majority in the House.
- A referendum on constitutional amendment had been a desire of the Prime Minister, to do this he needs a two-thirds majority in favour. As it stands, he is four seats short.
- Reiwa Shinsengumi, a party founded on April 1, 2019, won two seats and the elected officials both have severe disabilities. Yasuhiko Funago has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Eiko Kimura has cerebral palsy. This is the first time candidates with severe disabilities will be members of the house.
- Taiga Ishikawa of the Social Democratic Party became the first openly gay member of the House. His election spurs hope for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the country.
- Only 23% of the seats were won by women.
Their Mandate
Constitutional Amendment: Prime Minister Abe does not seem deterred in his pursuit to amend the constitution, despite his coalition’s failure to secure a two-thirds majority. Following the announcement of the results, he stated: “In this election, the constitutional amendment was also a big issue — it will be finally determined by the national referendum…the people of Japan will have a final say on this matter.”
Japan’s constitution bans the country from maintaining armed forces. Although the country maintains a large military -–the Self Defense Force– pro-amendment supporters have argued that the existence of the military contradicts the constitution.
Increase Consumption Tax: Abe planned to increase consumption tax in the country from 8 to 10%. Since becoming prime minister in 2012, Japan’s economy has seen steady growth, this has been credited to Abe’s economic policies termed ‘Abenomics.’
His victory at the polls reinforces the people’s belief in his policies. Echoing this, Tomomi Inada, a close ally of the prime minister and chief deputy secretary-general of the LDP said: “I think we also won the understanding of the need to raise the consumption tax to ensure the sustainability of social security and our strategy to ease the impact of the consumption tax increase.”
Anti-NHK: Takashi Tachibana, leader of NHK Kara Kokumin Wo Mamoru To (meaning: The Party to Protect the People from NHK), who won a seat, will try to move the party’s anti-NHK agenda forward. The party wants NHK to do away with subscription fees and switch to a pay-per-view system.
“We’ve secured a mandate to steadily carry out our policies,” said Abe, following the announcement of the results. His statement reflects the state of governance in the country. The party or coalition with the majority forms the government and carries out its policies, in most cases. Here, the opposition can align with the ruling bloc or seek support to further its agenda.
