
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

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

JPP: Voters not yet convinced by opposition party maneuvers, DPJ-JIP merger
February 25, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Several polls have found that voters expect little from the DPJ-JIP merger, suggesting that the re-launch of the DPJ under a new name—which may be only slightly different from the old name—will not result in a burst of enthusiasm for the party ahead of the July elections.
Tags: Democratic Party of Japan, DPJ, elections, japan innovation party, japanese communist party, jcp, JIP, jpp. japan political pulse, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, merge, Politics, polls, proportional representation voting, Shinzo Abe