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
Niigata voters elect antinuclear governor in blow to Abe’s energy policy
October 25, 2016Author: Nippon.com
Categories: Energy and Technology, In-Depth with Nippon.com
Antinuclear candidate Yoneyama Ryuichi won the Niigata gubernatorial contest on October 16, 2016, in a setback to the government’s efforts to restart Tokyo Electric Power’s largest nuclear plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located in the prefecture.
Tags: Abe, election, energy policy, Fukushima, governor, kashiwazaki-kariwa, Komeito, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, Nuclear, Nuclear energy, Sendai, Shinzo Abe, tokyo electric power, yoneyama ryuichi
JPP: Abe’s support still rests on lack of alternatives; public remains ambivalent about policies
July 18, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Japan’s House of Councillors elections are over, resulting in an impressive victory for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-Komeito coalition, which now has 147 seats in the 242-seat HOC. However, despite headlines that proclaimed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government won a landslide victory on July 10, opinion polls conducted after the elections suggest that the vote did not fundamentally alter public opinion regarding the Abe administration and its policies.
Tags: Abe, Abenomics, coalition, constitutional revision, election, elections, house of councillors, japan political pulse, japan. economy, jpp, Komeito, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, opinion poll, poll, public opinion, Shinzo Abe
Constitutional revision still not a sure bet despite LDP wins
July 11, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: In the News
While Japan’s ruling coalition secured victory in key parliamentary elections Sunday, that doesn’t mean constitutional revision will be an easy win for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Sasakawa USA’s Tobias Harris explained in several media outlets following the election. According to an article by Kirk Spitzer in USA Today, “Sunday’s vote was a ‘solid victory, as
Tags: constitutional revision, election, Japan, Komeito, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, los angeles times, New York Times, Shinzo Abe, the guardian, tobias harris, usa today
JPP: Opposition parties aim for independent voters as campaign season officially begins
June 22, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
The last round of polling before the campaign for Japan’s July 10 House of Councillors (HOC) elections officially began today shows that the Abe administration and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) continue to hold a commanding lead that could position them for a significant, if not overwhelming victory. But a number of independents are still undecided, and dissatisfaction with the Abe administration’s economic policies continues to run high, suggesting that there is room for the Democratic Party (DP) to gain at the government’s expense.
Tags: Abe, Abenomics, aggregation, approval rating, Asahi Shimbun, coalintion, democratic party, disapproval rating, dp, government, house of councillors, japan political pulse, japanese communist party, jcp, jiji press, jpp, Komeito, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, NHK, opinion, opinion poll, people's life party, plp, Politics, poll, polls, sdp, Shinzo Abe, social democratic party, tobias harris, Yomiuri Shimbun