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Social Democratic Party (Japan)
Encyclopedia
The Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 Shakai Minshu-tō, often abbreviated to 社民党 Shamin-tō; also known as the Social Democratic Party of Japan (abbreviated to SDPJ or SDP in English) is a political party
that advocates for the establishment of a socialist Japan. It now defines itself as a social democratic
party. The party was founded in 1996 by the leftist legislators of the defunct Japan Socialist Party (JSP), which was Japan's largest opposition party in the 1955 system
. The JSP enjoyed a short period of government participation from 1993 to 1994 and later formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) under Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama
(from the JSP) from 1994 to 1996. After its electoral defeat in 1996, it lost the more moderate members to the Democratic Party of Japan
in 1998. As of October 2010, it has 10 representatives in the national diet.
The SDP was originally known as the Japan Socialist Party (日本社会党 Nihon Shakai-tō), or JSP, and was formed in 1945, following the fall of the militarist regime which had led Japan into the Second World War. At the time, though, there was serious conflict inside the party among factions of the right and the left, and the official name in English became the "Social Democratic Party of Japan" (SDPJ), as the right had argued. On the other hand, the left wanted to use the older "JSP."
The party became the largest political party in the first general election under the Constitution of Japan
in 1947 (143 of 466 seats), and a government was formed by Tetsu Katayama
, forming a coalition with the Democratic Party of Japan and the Citizens' Cooperation Party. However, due to the rebellion of Marxists in the party, the Katayama government collapsed. As a result, the party was split into the Rightist Socialist Party
, consisting of socialists who leaned more to the center
, while the Leftist Socialist Party
was formed by hardline left-wingers and Marxist-Socialists
. And, the farthest left faction formed a small independent party, the Workers and Farmers Party, and espoused Maoism
from 1948 to 1957.
The two socialist parties were merged in 1955, reunifying and recreating the Japan Socialist Party (the official name was SDPJ again). The new opposition party had its own factions, although organized according to left-right ideological beliefs rather than what it called the "feudal personalism" of the conservative parties. In the House of Representatives election of 1958, the Japan Socialist Party gained 32.9 percent of the popular vote and 166 out of 467 seats. This was enough result to block the attempt of constitutional amendment by Kishi Nobusuke government.
However, the party was again split in 1960 because of internal conflicts and the assassination of Inejiro Asanuma
, and the breakaway group (a part of the old Right Socialist Party of Japan, their most moderate faction) created the Democratic Socialist Party
, though the Japan Socialist Party was preserved. After that, the JSPs percentage of the popular vote and number of seats gradually declined. The party performed well on a local level, however: by the Seventies, many areas were run by SDPJ mayors, who introduced innovative and popular new social programmes.
: its seats in the lower house fell from 112 to an all-time low of eighty-five and its share of the vote from 19.5 percent to 17.2 percent. But its popular chairwoman, Takako Doi
, led it to an impressive showing in the February 1990 general election: 136 seats and 24.4 percent of the vote. Some electoral districts had more than one successful socialist candidate. Doi's decision to put up more than one candidate for each of the 130 districts represented a controversial break with the past because, unlike their LDP counterparts, many Japan Socialist Party candidates did not want to run against each other. But the great majority of the 149 socialist candidates who ran were successful, including seven of eight women.
Doi, a university professor of constitutional law before entering politics, had a tough, straight-talking manner that appealed to voters tired of the evasiveness of other politicians. Many women found her a refreshing alternative to submissive female stereotypes, and in the late 1980s the public at large, in opinion polls, voted her their favorite politician (the runner-up in these surveys was equally tough-talking conservative LDP member Shintarō Ishihara
). Doi's popularity, however, was of limited aid to the party. The powerful Shakaishugi Kyokai (Japan Socialist Association), which was supported by a hard-core contingent of the party's 76,000-strong membership, remained committed to doctrinaire Marxism, impeding Doi's efforts to promote what she called perestroika
and a more moderate program with greater voter appeal.
In 1983 Doi's predecessor as chairman, Masashi Ishibashi
, began the delicate process of moving the party away from its strong opposition to the Self-Defense Forces
. While maintaining that these forces were unconstitutional in light of Article 9, he claimed that, because they had been established through legal procedures, they had a "legitimate" status (this phrasing was changed a year later to say that the Self-Defense Forces "exist legally"). Ishibashi also broke past precedent by visiting Washington to talk with United States
political leaders.
By the end of the decade, the party had accepted the Self-Defense Forces and the 1960 Japan-United States Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security
. It advocated strict limitations on military spending (no more than 1 percent of GNP annually), a suspension of joint military exercises with United States forces, and a reaffirmation of the "three nonnuclear principles" (no production, possession, or introduction of nuclear weapons into Japanese territory). Doi expressed support for "balanced ties" with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea
) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea
). In the past, the Japan Socialist Party had favored the Kim Il-sung
regime in Pyongyang
, and in the early 1990s it still refused to recognize the 1965 normalization of relations between Tokyo and Seoul
. In domestic policy, the party demanded the continued protection of agriculture and small business in the face of foreign pressure, abolition of the consumption tax
, and an end to the construction and use of nuclear power reactors. As a symbolic gesture to reflect its new moderation, at its April 1990 convention the party dropped its commitment to "socialist revolution" and described its goal as "social democracy": the creation of a society in which "all people fairly enjoy the fruits of technological advancement and modern civilization and receive the benefits of social welfare." Delegates also voted Doi a third term as party chairwoman.
Because of the party's self-definition as a class-based party and its symbiotic relationship with Sohyo
, the public-sector union confederation, few efforts were made to attract nonunion constituencies. Although some Sohyo unions supported the Japan Communist Party, the Japan Socialist Party remained the representative of Sohyo's political interests until the merger with private-sector unions and the Rengo
in 1989. Because of declining union financial support during the 1980s, some Japan Socialist Party Diet members turned to dubious fund-raising methods. One was involved in the Recruit affair
. The Japan Socialist Party, like others, sold large blocks of fund-raising party tickets, and the LDP even gave individual Japan Socialist Party Diet members funds from time to time to persuade them to cooperate in passing difficult legislation.
of Morihiro Hosokawa
was formed by anti-LDP liberals (the Japan Renewal Party
and the Japan New Party
, the Japanese Communist Party
the Komeito
, the Democratic Socialist Party
, the New Frontier Party
, the New Party Sakigake
, and the JSP). In 1994, however, the JSP and the New Sakigake Party decided to leave the non-LDP coalition to form a coalition with LDP under the premiership of Tomiichi Murayama
, the JSP leader at that time. It could be argued that the JSP in coalition abandoned many of its policies, and as a result lost much support.
In 1996, the party changed its name from Japan Socialist Party to Social Democratic Party (SDP) as an interim party for forming a new party. However, a movement for transforming SDP into a new "social democratic and liberal" party was unsuccessful. Since 1996, when the social democratic and liberal Democratic Party of Japan
was created by the majority of SDP members and liberals, it has grown smaller and smaller.
, compared with 18 seats in the previous elections of 2000. This heavy defeat was probably due to its support for North Korea
. SDP denied the North Korean abductions of Japanese
.
Doi had been the leader since 1996, but she resigned in 2003, taking responsibility for the election losses. Mizuho Fukushima
was elected as the new party leader in November 2003. In the Upper House Elections of 2004
, SDP won only two seats, thus having five seats in the Japanese Upper House
and six seats in the Lower House
. In 2006 the party unexpectedly gained the governorship of Shiga. Minshuto made large gains and the SDP maintained its base of 7 seats in the 2009 elections
, becoming a junior partner in a new left government coalition
. However, in May 2010 disagreements over the issue of the Futenma US base led to the sacking of Fukushima from the cabinet on Friday May 28th, and the SDP subsequently voted to leave the ruling coalition.
As of October 2010, the SDP has 6 members in the house of representatives and 4 members in the house of councilors.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
that advocates for the establishment of a socialist Japan. It now defines itself as a social democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
party. The party was founded in 1996 by the leftist legislators of the defunct Japan Socialist Party (JSP), which was Japan's largest opposition party in the 1955 system
1955 System
The was the political system that arose in Japan from 1955 to 1993.-History:After World War II, in November 1945, the major prewar conservative, moderate, and progressives had reorganized and the Japanese Communist Party had been legalized. A cabinet under the parliamentary form of government was...
. The JSP enjoyed a short period of government participation from 1993 to 1994 and later formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) under Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama
Tomiichi Murayama
is a retired Japanese politician who served as the 81st Prime Minister of Japan from June 30, 1994 to January 11, 1996. He was the head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan and the first Socialist prime minister in nearly fifty years...
(from the JSP) from 1994 to 1996. After its electoral defeat in 1996, it lost the more moderate members to the Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
in 1998. As of October 2010, it has 10 representatives in the national diet.
History
Socialist and Social-Democratic parties have been active in Japan, under various names, since the early 20th Century—often suffering harsh government repression as well as ideological dissensions and splits.The SDP was originally known as the Japan Socialist Party (日本社会党 Nihon Shakai-tō), or JSP, and was formed in 1945, following the fall of the militarist regime which had led Japan into the Second World War. At the time, though, there was serious conflict inside the party among factions of the right and the left, and the official name in English became the "Social Democratic Party of Japan" (SDPJ), as the right had argued. On the other hand, the left wanted to use the older "JSP."
The party became the largest political party in the first general election under the Constitution of Japan
Constitution of Japan
The is the fundamental law of Japan. It was enacted on 3 May, 1947 as a new constitution for postwar Japan.-Outline:The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights...
in 1947 (143 of 466 seats), and a government was formed by Tetsu Katayama
Tetsu Katayama
was a Japanese politician and the 46th Prime Minister from May 24, 1947 to March 10, 1948.- Early life :He was born in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, and attended Tokyo Imperial University. Raised in the Christian faith, he was strongly influenced by the Christian Socialism of Abe Isō...
, forming a coalition with the Democratic Party of Japan and the Citizens' Cooperation Party. However, due to the rebellion of Marxists in the party, the Katayama government collapsed. As a result, the party was split into the Rightist Socialist Party
Rightist Socialist Party of Japan
The Rightist Socialist Party of Japan was a Japanese political party that existed between 1948 and 1955. It was a center-left political party, which adopted a policy of moderate social-democracy.- History :...
, consisting of socialists who leaned more to the center
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
, while the Leftist Socialist Party
Leftist Socialist Party of Japan
The Leftist Socialist Party of Japan was a Japanese political party that existed between 1948 and 1955. It was a radical socialist political party, which adopted Marxism-Leninism.- History :...
was formed by hardline left-wingers and Marxist-Socialists
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. And, the farthest left faction formed a small independent party, the Workers and Farmers Party, and espoused Maoism
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
from 1948 to 1957.
The two socialist parties were merged in 1955, reunifying and recreating the Japan Socialist Party (the official name was SDPJ again). The new opposition party had its own factions, although organized according to left-right ideological beliefs rather than what it called the "feudal personalism" of the conservative parties. In the House of Representatives election of 1958, the Japan Socialist Party gained 32.9 percent of the popular vote and 166 out of 467 seats. This was enough result to block the attempt of constitutional amendment by Kishi Nobusuke government.
However, the party was again split in 1960 because of internal conflicts and the assassination of Inejiro Asanuma
Inejiro Asanuma
Inejiro Asanuma was a Japanese politician, and head of the Japanese Socialist Party. Asanuma was noted for speaking publicly about Socialism and economic and cultural opportunities...
, and the breakaway group (a part of the old Right Socialist Party of Japan, their most moderate faction) created the Democratic Socialist Party
Democratic Socialist Party (Japan)
The was a social democratic party in Japan.- History :The Democratic Socialist Party was established in 1960 by a breakaway group of the Japan Socialist Party. It was made up of many members of the former Rightist Socialist Party of Japan, a moderate social-democratic faction that existed...
, though the Japan Socialist Party was preserved. After that, the JSPs percentage of the popular vote and number of seats gradually declined. The party performed well on a local level, however: by the Seventies, many areas were run by SDPJ mayors, who introduced innovative and popular new social programmes.
1980s
In the double election of July 1986 for both Diet houses, the party suffered a rout by the LDP under Yasuhiro NakasoneYasuhiro Nakasone
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from November 27, 1982 to November 6, 1987. A contemporary of Brian Mulroney, Ronald Reagan, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Margaret Thatcher, and Mikhail Gorbachev, he is best known for pushing through the privatization of...
: its seats in the lower house fell from 112 to an all-time low of eighty-five and its share of the vote from 19.5 percent to 17.2 percent. But its popular chairwoman, Takako Doi
Takako Doi
was a prominent Japanese politician from 1980 until her retirement in 2005.Doi was born in Hyōgo Prefecture and graduated from Doshisha University, where she studied law. She was elected to the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Diet, as a member of the Japan Socialist Party in 1969,...
, led it to an impressive showing in the February 1990 general election: 136 seats and 24.4 percent of the vote. Some electoral districts had more than one successful socialist candidate. Doi's decision to put up more than one candidate for each of the 130 districts represented a controversial break with the past because, unlike their LDP counterparts, many Japan Socialist Party candidates did not want to run against each other. But the great majority of the 149 socialist candidates who ran were successful, including seven of eight women.
Doi, a university professor of constitutional law before entering politics, had a tough, straight-talking manner that appealed to voters tired of the evasiveness of other politicians. Many women found her a refreshing alternative to submissive female stereotypes, and in the late 1980s the public at large, in opinion polls, voted her their favorite politician (the runner-up in these surveys was equally tough-talking conservative LDP member Shintarō Ishihara
Shintaro Ishihara
is a Japanese author, actor, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999.- Early life and artistic career :Shintarō was born in Suma-ku, Kobe. His father Kiyoshi was an employee, later a general manager, of a shipping company. Shintarō grew up in Zushi...
). Doi's popularity, however, was of limited aid to the party. The powerful Shakaishugi Kyokai (Japan Socialist Association), which was supported by a hard-core contingent of the party's 76,000-strong membership, remained committed to doctrinaire Marxism, impeding Doi's efforts to promote what she called perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
and a more moderate program with greater voter appeal.
In 1983 Doi's predecessor as chairman, Masashi Ishibashi
Masashi Ishibashi
Masashi Ishibashi is a former Japanese politician and chairman of the Japan Socialist Party.-References:...
, began the delicate process of moving the party away from its strong opposition to the Self-Defense Forces
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...
. While maintaining that these forces were unconstitutional in light of Article 9, he claimed that, because they had been established through legal procedures, they had a "legitimate" status (this phrasing was changed a year later to say that the Self-Defense Forces "exist legally"). Ishibashi also broke past precedent by visiting Washington to talk with United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political leaders.
By the end of the decade, the party had accepted the Self-Defense Forces and the 1960 Japan-United States Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security
Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan
The was signed between the United States and Japan in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 1960. It strengthened Japan's ties to the West during the Cold War era...
. It advocated strict limitations on military spending (no more than 1 percent of GNP annually), a suspension of joint military exercises with United States forces, and a reaffirmation of the "three nonnuclear principles" (no production, possession, or introduction of nuclear weapons into Japanese territory). Doi expressed support for "balanced ties" with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
). In the past, the Japan Socialist Party had favored the Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
regime in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, and in the early 1990s it still refused to recognize the 1965 normalization of relations between Tokyo and Seoul
Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea
The Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea was signed on June 22, 1965 to establish basic relationship between Japan and the Republic of Korea .-History:...
. In domestic policy, the party demanded the continued protection of agriculture and small business in the face of foreign pressure, abolition of the consumption tax
Consumption tax
A consumption tax is a tax on spending on goods and services. The tax base of such a tax is the money spent on consumption. Consumption taxes are usually indirect, such as a sales tax or a value added tax...
, and an end to the construction and use of nuclear power reactors. As a symbolic gesture to reflect its new moderation, at its April 1990 convention the party dropped its commitment to "socialist revolution" and described its goal as "social democracy": the creation of a society in which "all people fairly enjoy the fruits of technological advancement and modern civilization and receive the benefits of social welfare." Delegates also voted Doi a third term as party chairwoman.
Because of the party's self-definition as a class-based party and its symbiotic relationship with Sohyo
Sohyo
Sōhyō , the General Council of Trade Unions of Japan, founded in 1950 is the predominantly public sector union confederation in Japan. It merged with RENGO in 1990....
, the public-sector union confederation, few efforts were made to attract nonunion constituencies. Although some Sohyo unions supported the Japan Communist Party, the Japan Socialist Party remained the representative of Sohyo's political interests until the merger with private-sector unions and the Rengo
Rengo
Rengo is a city and commune located in the Zona Central of Chile, situated in the Cachapoal Province of the O'Higgins Region at a distance of south of the city of Rancagua and south of the national capital Santiago...
in 1989. Because of declining union financial support during the 1980s, some Japan Socialist Party Diet members turned to dubious fund-raising methods. One was involved in the Recruit affair
Recruit scandal
The was an insider trading and corruption scandal that forced many prominent Japanese politicians to resign in 1988.Recruit is a human resources and classifieds company based in Tokyo. Its chairman, Hiromasa Ezoe, offered a number of shares in a Recruit subsidiary, Cosmos, to business leaders and...
. The Japan Socialist Party, like others, sold large blocks of fund-raising party tickets, and the LDP even gave individual Japan Socialist Party Diet members funds from time to time to persuade them to cooperate in passing difficult legislation.
1990s
The SDPJ acquired seventy seats in the July 1993 House of Representatives election, while the LDP lost its majority for the first time in 38 years. The coalition governmentCoalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
of Morihiro Hosokawa
Morihiro Hosokawa
is a Japanese politician who was the 79th Prime Minister of Japan from August 9, 1993 to April 28, 1994. His coalition was the first non-Liberal Democratic Party government since 1955.- Early life :...
was formed by anti-LDP liberals (the Japan Renewal Party
Japan Renewal Party
The Japan Renewal Party was a Japanese political party that existed in the early 1990s. It was founded in 1993 by 44 members of the Liberal Democratic Party led by Tsutomu Hata and Ichirō Ozawa...
and the Japan New Party
Japan New Party
The Japan New Party was a Japanese political party that existed briefly from 1992 to 1994. It should not be confused with the New Party Nippon founded in 2005....
, the Japanese Communist Party
Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
the Komeito
Komeito (Former)
The Kōmeitō , also known as Clean Government Party or CGP, was a political party in Japan. It was centrist, sometimes also classified as centre-left.- History :...
, the Democratic Socialist Party
Democratic Socialist Party (Japan)
The was a social democratic party in Japan.- History :The Democratic Socialist Party was established in 1960 by a breakaway group of the Japan Socialist Party. It was made up of many members of the former Rightist Socialist Party of Japan, a moderate social-democratic faction that existed...
, the New Frontier Party
New Frontier Party
The was a Japanese political party that existed during the mid-1990s. As a merger of several small parties, the party was ideologically diverse, with its membership ranging from moderate socialists to neoliberals and conservatives...
, the New Party Sakigake
New Party Sakigake
The New Party Sakigake was a Japanese political party that broke away from the Liberal Democratic Party on June 22, 1993. The party was created by Masayoshi Takemura. The party, was a centrist party, and it had many reformist and even moderate ecological elements. The theoretical reader was...
, and the JSP). In 1994, however, the JSP and the New Sakigake Party decided to leave the non-LDP coalition to form a coalition with LDP under the premiership of Tomiichi Murayama
Tomiichi Murayama
is a retired Japanese politician who served as the 81st Prime Minister of Japan from June 30, 1994 to January 11, 1996. He was the head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan and the first Socialist prime minister in nearly fifty years...
, the JSP leader at that time. It could be argued that the JSP in coalition abandoned many of its policies, and as a result lost much support.
In 1996, the party changed its name from Japan Socialist Party to Social Democratic Party (SDP) as an interim party for forming a new party. However, a movement for transforming SDP into a new "social democratic and liberal" party was unsuccessful. Since 1996, when the social democratic and liberal Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
was created by the majority of SDP members and liberals, it has grown smaller and smaller.
Recent events
The Social Democratic Party won six seats in the general elections of November 9, 2003Japan general election, 2003
A general election took place in Japan on November 9, 2003. Incumbent Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of the Liberal Democrat Party won the election but with a reduced majority. The main opposition Democratic Party made considerable gains, winning 177 of the 480 seats in the House of...
, compared with 18 seats in the previous elections of 2000. This heavy defeat was probably due to its support for North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. SDP denied the North Korean abductions of Japanese
North Korean abductions of Japanese
The abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government happened during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese are officially recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted, there may have been as many as 70 to 80...
.
Doi had been the leader since 1996, but she resigned in 2003, taking responsibility for the election losses. Mizuho Fukushima
Mizuho Fukushima
is a Japanese politician. She has been a member of the House of Councillors since 1998, was re-elected in 2004 and 2010,and is the current chair of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, a position she has held since 2003....
was elected as the new party leader in November 2003. In the Upper House Elections of 2004
Japan upper house election, 2004
Elections to the House of Councillors, the upper house of the legislature of Japan, were held on July 11, 2004. The House of Councillors consists of 247 members who serve six-year terms. Approximately half the members are elected every three years. At these elections 121 members were elected...
, SDP won only two seats, thus having five seats in the Japanese Upper House
House of Councillors
The is the upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives...
and six seats in the Lower House
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
. In 2006 the party unexpectedly gained the governorship of Shiga. Minshuto made large gains and the SDP maintained its base of 7 seats in the 2009 elections
Japanese general election, 2009
A general election in Japan was held on August 30, 2009, for all 480 seats of the House of Representatives of Japan, the lower house of the Diet of Japan....
, becoming a junior partner in a new left government coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
. However, in May 2010 disagreements over the issue of the Futenma US base led to the sacking of Fukushima from the cabinet on Friday May 28th, and the SDP subsequently voted to leave the ruling coalition.
As of October 2010, the SDP has 6 members in the house of representatives and 4 members in the house of councilors.
Current policies
- Defends Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan.
- Advocate a significant increase in the scope of social welfare, such as healthcare, pensions, social securitySocial securitySocial security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
and disabilityDisabilityA disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
care.
- Opposition to market-driven neo-liberalism and neo-conservatismNeoconservatism in JapanNeoconservatism in Japan, also known as the neo-defense school, is a term used by Asian media only recently to refer to a hawkish new generation of Japanese conservatives...
.
- Complete disarmament of Japan in accordance with pacifist principles. The Japanese Self-Defense Force will be replaced with a force dedicated to disaster relief and foreign aid.
- Cancellation of the US-Japan military allianceTreaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and JapanThe was signed between the United States and Japan in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 1960. It strengthened Japan's ties to the West during the Cold War era...
, dismantling of US bases in JapanUnited States Forces JapanThe refers to the various divisions of the United States Armed Forces that are stationed in Japan. Under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, the United States is obliged to defend Japan in close cooperation with the Japan Self-Defense Forces for...
and replacing it with a Treaty of FriendshipTreaty of FriendshipThe Treaty of Friendship is a common generic name for any treaty establishing close ties between countries. For example:* 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship* Élysée Treaty...
.
- Opposition to Japan's involvement in supporting the US in the War against terrorWar on TerrorismThe War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
through refueling of US warships in the Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
.
- Introduction of an environment (carbon)Carbon taxA carbon tax is an environmental tax levied on the carbon content of fuels. It is a form of carbon pricing. Carbon is present in every hydrocarbon fuel and is released as carbon dioxide when they are burnt. In contrast, non-combustion energy sources—wind, sunlight, hydropower, and nuclear—do not...
tax.
- Significant increase in the scope of wildlife protection legislation, increasing the number of protected species and setting up of protection zones
- Transition from a mass-production / mass-consumption society to a sustainable society in coexistence with nature.
- Clampdown on harmful chemicals, e.g., restriction on use of agricultural chemicals, ban on asbestosAsbestosAsbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
, tackling dioxin and soil pollutants.
- Increased investment in public transport, encouraging a switch from road to rail, and from petrol powered buses to hybrids, electric vehicles and Light rail transitLight Rail TransitThe name Light Rail Transit is used to refer to several light rail systems, as an official name or otherwise:* Please see List of tram and light-rail transit systems.-See also:* Light Rapid Transit * Light railway* Light rail...
.
- Opposition to nuclear powerNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
, and proposes a gradual switch to wind energyWind energyWind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion; see also wind power.Total wind energy flowing through an imaginary area A during the time t is:E = ½ m v2 = ½ v 2...
as the nation's base energy source.
- Abolition of the death penalty.
- Opposition to privatisation of water.
Secretaries-General
- Tomiichi MurayamaTomiichi Murayamais a retired Japanese politician who served as the 81st Prime Minister of Japan from June 30, 1994 to January 11, 1996. He was the head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan and the first Socialist prime minister in nearly fifty years...
, January 19, 1996 - September 28 1996 - Takako DoiTakako Doiwas a prominent Japanese politician from 1980 until her retirement in 2005.Doi was born in Hyōgo Prefecture and graduated from Doshisha University, where she studied law. She was elected to the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Diet, as a member of the Japan Socialist Party in 1969,...
, September 28 1996 - November 15, 2003 - Mizuho FukushimaMizuho Fukushimais a Japanese politician. She has been a member of the House of Councillors since 1998, was re-elected in 2004 and 2010,and is the current chair of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, a position she has held since 2003....
, November 15, 2003 - incumbent
See also
- Politics of JapanPolitics of JapanThe politics of Japan is conducted in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, where Prime Minister of Japan is the head of government. Japanese politics uses a multi-party system. Executive power exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the Diet, with...
- List of political parties in Japan
- Democratic Party of JapanDemocratic Party of JapanThe is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
- Democratic Socialist Party (Japan)Democratic Socialist Party (Japan)The was a social democratic party in Japan.- History :The Democratic Socialist Party was established in 1960 by a breakaway group of the Japan Socialist Party. It was made up of many members of the former Rightist Socialist Party of Japan, a moderate social-democratic faction that existed...
- Japanese Communist PartyJapanese Communist PartyThe Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
- Rightist Socialist Party of JapanRightist Socialist Party of JapanThe Rightist Socialist Party of Japan was a Japanese political party that existed between 1948 and 1955. It was a center-left political party, which adopted a policy of moderate social-democracy.- History :...
- Leftist Socialist Party of JapanLeftist Socialist Party of JapanThe Leftist Socialist Party of Japan was a Japanese political party that existed between 1948 and 1955. It was a radical socialist political party, which adopted Marxism-Leninism.- History :...
External links
- Social Democratic Party of Japan The official website of the SDP.