
JPP: Opposition parties aim for independent voters as campaign season officially begins
Author: 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

JPP: Impact of new teenage voters uncertain
Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
This summer’s House of Councillors (HOC) elections will be the first in which Japan’s eighteen and nineteen year olds can vote. Ahead of this historic vote, the Asahi Shimbun conducted a mail survey of soon-to-be-eligible young voters, seeking to understand how they view Japanese politics and society. In the near term, teenage voters could introduce an element of uncertainty into elections, particularly since the Asahi poll suggests that they could be an especially liberal voting bloc.
Tags: 18, 19, Abe, asahi shimbuns, constitution, elections, electorate, employment, house of councillors, independent voters, Japan, japan political pulse, jpp, LDP, liberal, opinion poll, party affiliation, polocy, Shinzo Abe, social security, teen voters, teenage voters, tobias harris, vote, voter turnout, voting, voting bloc, voting-age population

JPP Archive: August 2015 to March 2016
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
The Japan Political Pulse aggregates major opinion polls conducted by Japanese media outlets in order to provide a more accurate picture of the Abe government’s public approval rating. This post contains an archive of Japan Political Pulse’s data from its inception in August 2015 through March 2016.
Tags: japan political pulse, jpp, jpp archive, opinion, opinion poll, poll, poll aggregator, public opinion, Shinzo Abe

Introducing Japan Political Pulse: Background and methodology
Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
The goal of the JPP is to provide a comprehensive look at the government’s prevailing approval rating as well as other opinion polling regarding critical issues facing Japan. While Japan has a high volume of quality opinion polls — regularly conducted surveys with large, randomly drawn samples — these polls often have subtle but consistent biases. Following in the footsteps of U.S. opinion poll aggregators, we will aggregate major polls so as to minimize the impact of these biases and arrive at a more accurate picture of the government’s support on a given day.
Tags: Abe cabinet, Abenomics, aggregator, approval rating, Asahi Shimbun, Cabinet, disapproval rating, Japan, japan political pulse, jiji press, jpp, kyodo news service, Mainichi Shimbun, methodology, NHK, opinion poll, opinion poll aggregator, Politics, poll, public opinion, public standing, Shinzo Abe, Yomiuri Shimbun