
New opposition parties still lagging behind the LDP—but many voters undecided
October 6, 2017Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
With four days until the campaign for Japan’s October 22 general election officially begins, the outlook for the vote is still extremely fluid. Polls show significant numbers of undecided voters, but also suggest that Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike’s newly formed Party of Hope is struggling to connect with independent voters.
Tags: Abe, cdpj, dp, DPJ, foreign policy, japan political pulse, jpp, Komeito, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, party of hope, Politics, polls, public opinion, security, Shinzo Abe, tobias harris, yuriko koike

The story of how Japanese politics got shaken up in 2017
October 3, 2017Categories: In the News
Politics, polling, and prospects for Japan’s upcoming snap election on October 22 are discussed in detail in the latest episode of The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics podcast featuring Sasakawa USA’s Tobias Harris.
Tags: ankit panda, in the news, Japan, japan political pulse, jpp, Politics, polls, Shinzo Abe, snap election, the diplomat, tobias harris

Japan Political Pulse data used in Vox article
September 29, 2017Categories: In the News
Sasakawa USA’s Japan Political Pulse, a project by Fellow for Economy, Trade and Business Tobias Harris that aggregates major opinion polls conducted by Japanese media outlets, was utilized in a September 28 article on Vox about the stakes of the upcoming October 22 snap election recently called by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Tags: approval ratings, in the news, japan political pulse, jpp, opinion polls, polls, Shinzo Abe, tobias harris, vox

Abe’s comeback and the outlook for a general election
September 25, 2017Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Given Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s current status — recovering approval ratings, high marks for his handling of a serious foreign policy crisis, with an established opposition party in seemingly terminal decline, and a new opposition party scrambling to prepare for an election — the political logic of a snap election is indisputable. This analysis takes an in-depth look at public opinion polls on Abe and what they reveal about the coming election.
Tags: Abe, Asahi Shimbun, Cabinet, election, Japan, japan political pulse, jiji press, jpp, Kake Gakuen, kyodo news, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, Mainichi Shimbun, moritomo gakuen, NHK, Nikkei, North Korea, Nuclear, poll, polling, public opinion, Shinzo Abe, snap election, tobias harris, yomiuru shimbun

Social attitudes survey finds broad satisfaction, but concerns on economic opportunity and security
April 4, 2017Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Newly released results from a social consciousness survey in Japan found a high degree of satisfaction about Japanese society overall, but also found anxiety about both Japan’s position internationally and the economic opportunities available to younger Japanese.
Tags: Defense, economic opportunity, Japan, japan political pulse, jpp, national security, policy, poll, public poll, satisfaction survey, Shinzo Abe, society, Survey, tobias harris, us-japan