The conservative Liberal Democrats have governed Japan with a small coalition partner for decades. But a party that grew at the local level wants to break this monopoly. What does she stand for?
Everything in Japan is centered on the capital, Tokyo. Here everything is decided, here is the center of power. The “Nippon Ishin no kai” (“Party of Renewal”) is pushing into this center. Founded in Osaka in 2010 by the populist Toru Hashimoto, it also won numerous votes in other parts of the country in the local elections this spring.
Visit to the party headquarters in Osaka. Employees lead us into an unadorned room with neon lights. The 72-year-old Hitoshi Asada, a veteran of the party, points to the party’s greatest success: “We managed to make education for children from the age of three up to the end of high school free of charge.” Middle school children in Osaka also get a free lunch every day, he explains the increase in votes.
The party financed this with a radical measure, among other things: “We reformed the administration. Until then, our MPs received 40 million yen (about 255,000 euros) when they retired. We abolished that.”
Cuts on many levels
In addition, the party has reduced the number of deputies and cut deputy allowances and civil servant salaries by up to 30 percent.
Politicians who continue to receive the higher grants outside of Osaka would donate that percentage. “We sent a truck with relief supplies to Ukraine, for example,” says Asada. research of ARD confirm this. What Asada fails to mention: The “Ishin”, on the other hand, has cut funds in hospitals and medical staff.
Not every requirement is specific
The party classifies itself as progressive-conservative. And indeed, she promotes gay marriage and the possibility of keeping one’s last name in marriage; Issues that the ruling Liberal Democrats (LDP) are struggling with.
When asked about these party demands, the otherwise talkative Asada tends to be tight-lipped. And when asked about another demand by “Ishin”, the introduction of a basic income of 60,000 yen (equivalent to around 380 euros), it is clear that the proposal is still immature.
Not everyone should receive it and there is still no decision on the amount. Instead, Asada surprises with the suggestion that everyone should continue to work as long as they want and that their studies should be financed even in old age.
advancement of women is expandable
The party remains just as vague on the migration issue. Japan has a glaring shortage of skilled workers and a rapidly aging population. “Of course Japan needs skilled workers,” says Asada, but he has no idea how they should be recruited. Instead, he lists failings by the LDP.
The party also wants to promote women. So far, according to their own statements, their share in the party is almost 20 percent, in the parliamentary group it is almost 15 percent – and thus still below the total proportion of women in parliament, which is 26 percent.
“Ishin” local politician Yusuke Sugie thinks that a lot has already been achieved. “In Osaka, we have succeeded in enabling politically active mothers to participate in meetings online. No other city in Japan has been able to do this before.”
On the other hand, the “Ishin” is in line with the LDP when it comes to expanding defenses, preserving the imperial family and nuclear energy. And she has a clear goal in mind, which the current party leader has just reaffirmed: Ishin wants to become the strongest opposition party. “And then we want to come to power in Tokyo,” says MP Asada.
Party profits from weaknesses of others
Political scientist Haruko Satoh from Osaka University does not believe that the Renewal Party will really succeed in this. She is benefiting above all from the weakness of the LDP’s small coalition partner, the Buddhist Komeito: “40 percent of the Japanese population currently does not support any party. That number is larger than the number of people who support a single party.”
The special thing about “Ishin” is that she grew up and grown from the local level. And far-reaching changes in Japan have always come from the provinces in the past.
For Masahiro Zenkyo, a political scientist at Kansei Gakuin University in Osaka, the “Ishin”‘s success is primarily due to the weakness of the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democrats. The voters were disappointed in her and had turned to the Renewal Party in protest.
That is typical for Japan. However, in order to catch up with the Constitutional Democratic Party, “Ishin” would have to win more than twice as many parliamentary seats in the next election as in the 2021 parliamentary election.
Still difficult to classify
For Zenkyo, too, the “Ishin” party is difficult to assign to one spectrum: “In any case, it is more conservative, even more right-wing on security and defense issues, and more left-wing on other issues such as gay marriage and the advancement of women,” he says .
From the political scientist’s point of view, if the party wants to be successful at state level, it still has to create the appropriate internal structures and, above all, win over crooks who have political experience.
The success of “Ishin” in Osaka shows what a local party can achieve, says Zenkyo. And that could also encourage people in other cities to emulate the party and take up their ideas, knowing: “Ah, that worked there, maybe it will work here too.”