Japan Brief/FPCJ, No. 0949
September 1, 2009


DPJ Set to Form Government Following 45th General Election

In Japan’s 45th general election held on August 30 the Democratic Party of Japan won 308 seats in the House of Representatives, many more than the 241 seats needed for a simple majority. The results mean that a change of government and the appointment of DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama as prime minister are certain. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito, which formed the ruling coalition before the election, saw their combined number of seats plummet from the 331 that they had before the election was officially announced to 140. The LDP lost its status as the largest party in the House of Representatives for the first time since its formation in 1955. As a result, Prime Minister Taro Aso announced on August 31 his intention to resign as president of the LDP. In addition, the New Komeito, which had teamed up with the LDP in a coalition for 10 years, was completely routed in the single-seat constituencies. Other seats in the House of Representatives went to the Japanese Communist Party (9), Social Democratic Party (7), Your Party (5), People’s New Party (3), and New Party Nippon (1).

It will be the first time in 16 years for a non-LDP government to take office in Japan; a non-LDP coalition led by then Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa took power in 1993 (Yomiuri Shimbun, August 31, page 1). It will also be the first time for an opposition party to have an outright majority in the House of Representatives and to form a government since the current electoral system combining single-seat constituencies and proportional representation was introduced 15 years ago, and indeed since 1945 (Asahi Shimbun, August 31, page 1).

In a press conference held early on August 31, DPJ President Hatoyama said, “The people have courageously opted for a change of government. We must build a politics in which the people are the main actors” (Asahi, same article). In addition, since the DPJ does not have an outright majority in the House of Councillors, Hatoyama declared that the DPJ would enter into full-fledged talks with the SDP and the PNP on the formation of a coalition government with them (Yomiuri, August 31, page 1).

Newspaper Editorials

Japan’s major newspapers all took up the results of the general election and the government change in their August 31 editorials. While most of the editorials described the outcome as a “historic change of government,” the Yomiuri, Asahi, and Sankei Shimbun also pointed out that the DPJ’s huge victory did not mean voters had complete trust in the party. The newspapers emphasized the heavy responsibility of the new administration and also called on the LDP to drastically rebuild itself.

Regarding the election results, the Yomiuri editorial commented, “All in all, the LDP’s historic defeat is attributable to excess in its structural reform drive, its leaders’ neglect of their responsibilities and their poor ability to govern, its loss of backing from support organizations, as well as the public’s disappointment and dissatisfaction with the party's longtime rule. In conducting its election campaign, the DPJ tried to share the popular dissatisfaction with the LDP by criticizing the ruling party’s gridlock, pledging to support family budgets with child care allowances and to abolish expressway tolls while also fielding candidates with a variety of backgrounds.” It added that the most important task facing the new administration would be to put the Japanese economy on a steady road to recovery. In the field of diplomacy and national security, the Yomiuri urged the next administration to pay consideration to continuity in foreign policy and steadfastly maintain the Japan-US alliance.

The Asahi editorial cited three reasons for the DPJ’s overwhelming victory: (1) structural changes in Japanese society symbolized by the low birthrate and increase of the elderly, and the decline of local economies due to globalization; (2) public distrust of the LDP, which failed to address and respond effectively to such changes; and (3) a sense of hopelessness and anxiety about the future running throughout society amid the simultaneous global recession. Like other newspapers, meanwhile, the Asahi also pointed out that the election results did not equal trust in a DPJ government. It went on, “The initial honeymoon for the new DPJ government will last for some 100 days from its inauguration in mid-September to the end of December, when the work to compile the state budget for the next fiscal year has to be finished. We suggest that the DPJ devote all its energies to priority policies in those 100 days in order to put its government on a solid footing. In particular, it cited three main challenges facing the DPJ: (1) injecting more transparency into the political and administrative processes; (2) flexibly reviewing its policies; and (3) ensuring that the new decision-making system of the government functions steadily.

The Mainichi Shimbun editorial described the change of government as an “awesome earthshaking event” that “can even be called revolutionary.” Referring to the fact that a change of government had been realized for the first time in the fifth general election to be held since the single-seat constituency system was introduced, it continued, “We would like to genuinely welcome, as a sign of progress in politics, this restoration of the essential function of democracy, which is to enable a change of government by voting.” The Mainichi also urged the DPJ to quickly build a system enabling policymaking to be led by politicians rather than the bureaucracy and to clarify its foreign and security policies.

Regarding the election results, the Sankei editorial said positively, “It is highly significant that the system of two main parties, which enables a change of government through the single-seat constituency setup introduced from the general election 13 years ago, has at last functioned.” But it also remarked, “A change of government itself became the objective, and voters were led down that road. The choice of what to do with this country was hardly presented at all.” In addition, the Sankei requested, “As it will be in charge of governing the country, we hope the DPJ will adopt a pragmatic course of protecting the nation’s interests and the people’s interests.” In particular, it stressed the importance of continuing foreign and security policies centered on the Japan-US alliance, and promoting structural reform.

Analyzing the election results, The Nikkei editorial commented, “As well as being fed up with LDP rule, which had continued for over half a century, voters were alienated by the deterioration in the LDP’s ability to govern that had become obvious since the last general election.” It went on, “The DPJ absorbed many voters who were dissatisfied with the present situation and succeeded in increasing expectations for a change of government.” The Nikkei continued with some requests for the new government, including the clarification of financial sources for its policies, the compilation of an economic growth strategy, which is lacking in the DPJ’s present policies, and the indication of goals for fiscal reconstruction.

Reference: Number of seats held by main parties in the House of Representatives (Yomiuri Shimbun, August 31; figures in parentheses show number of seats before the election announcement)

Democratic Party of Japan: 308 (115)
Liberal Democratic Party: 119 (300)
New Komeito: 21 (31)
Japanese Communist Party: 9 (9)
Social Democratic Party: 7 (7)


(Copyright 2009 Foreign Press Center, Japan)

*Japan Brief is an original production of the Foreign Press Center, Japan, and does not represent the views of the Government of Japan or of any other body.



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