Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito Party, a ruling coalition, recently suffered defeat in Japan’s 27th Senate election. Prior to this, the LDP had consecutively failed in House of Representatives and Tokyo Metropolitan Diet elections. Tetsuya Kawai, former Governor of Tokyo, stated that the defeat of the LDP was due to various reasons including the lack of resolution on domestic issues such as living conditions.
Tetsuya Kawai, former Governor of Tokyo:
The primary reason is economic issues. Currently, with high prices in Japan, the issue of public welfare concerns for ordinary citizens is paramount. I believe that in terms of the economy, the LDP lacks corresponding policies, which should be the biggest reason for its defeat. The LDP members have also faced the “black money” issue, which is another significant reason for their failure. It is evident that the Japanese public has significantly lowered their trust in the LDP due to the “black money” issue, potentially leading the LDP to seek cooperation with other parties.
Currently, the LDP has not secured more than half of the seats in both houses, thus becoming a minority party in both chambers. Kawai believes that the LDP’s approach of seeking cooperation with other parties on important issues may continue.
Tetsuya Kawai, former Governor of Tokyo:
After the LDP lost in the House of Representatives election last year, even though it became a minority party in the House of Representatives, it persevered. Therefore, it is likely that the same form will be adopted in the Senate.