Japan Press Weekly

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2014 December 17 - 23 [POLITICS]

‘3rd pole’ significantly suffers loss after snuggling up to power

The “third pole” political parties the media praised in the general election two years ago have lost half of their votes and many seats in the election this time.

The Party for Future Generations is a new party established after a split from the former Japan Restoration Party by a faction of Ishihara (former JRP co-leader). In the House of Representatives election campaign, the new party’s head Hiranuma Takeo spoke highly of the Abe government. He said, “We appreciate the prime minister’s decision to allow the country to have the right to collective self-defense,” and “We admire the Abe’s policy to continue to use nuclear power generation.” He also encouraged the Abe regime to enact a new constitution. As a result of such public pronouncements, its number of Lower House seats dropped to two from its pre-election strength of 19. It could not even secure any seats in the proportional representation blocs.

A faction of Hashimoto (another JRP co-leader) changed the name Japan Restoration Party to the Japan Innovation Party. It managed to secure 41 seats, down one from its previous strength. Compared to the 2012 general election in which its 54 candidates won, the number of winners this time decreased by 13. The leader of the renamed party, Hashimoto Toru, in his campaign speech on the eve of election day said, “No one in opposition parties has enough ability to assume the position of prime minister. Mr. Abe will be fine. It doesn’t matter whether the LDP wins.”

The “third pole” key player, the Your Party, dissolved just before the general election and its members joined either the Party for Future Generations or the Japan Innovation Party. The Your Party’s former head ran as an independent in the election this time but lost. As a cause of his defeat, he said, “The Your Party had worked in coordination with the Abe administration and this caused the split-up of the party.” In fact, this disbanded party supported the Abenomics easy-money policy, the Abe Cabinet decision on Japan’s use of the collective self-defense right, and the enactment of the state secrecy law, receiving praise from Abe as a “responsible” political party. It was no doubt a complementary force of the LDP.

Past related articles:
> 80% of political parties disbanded after receiving public subsidies since 1995 [November 27, 2014]
> Where are ‘third pole’ political forces going? [June 4, 2014]
> ‘Third pole’ Your Party actually serves interests of private company [March 29, 2014]
> 3rd political pole no different from LDP policies [November 18 & 19, 2012]
> 3rd pole, just a changing of cliques with no alternative pole [November 21, 2012]