30% of young Japanese say Diet not helping people's lives

They are right. They don't listen. From the top down, Japanese politicians don't represent their people, they follow the LDP guidelines. The real leaders are hidden.

Not one vision of actually improving people's lives rather a plethora of laws designed to fleece the population and training to somehow make suffering with pride a national trait.

Terrible stat. If Japan is a democracy, how are they representing their people? The only time I see or hear of our local reps is when they’re campaigning. The sad thing is that this is soooo embedded in the system, it won't change..not in a loooong time.,,unless some new black ship comes in and forces changes. I dont see that coming anytime soon, though.

The sad part is that it’s only 30%.

It should be way higher. This is totally no democracy and people in Japan should wake up and do something against it.

800 people poll. Usually it is 1020 people chosen.

Should be 80%. Nobody feels their life is better, nobody trusts politicians and nobody gives a monkeys about voting.

The only time I see or hear of our local reps is when they’re campaigning.

In Osaka they campaigned during hanami. Visiting all the people who were enjoying their hanami to spread their pamphlets and shake hands. Disgusting.

Seems there are too many old useless farts in Diet...

It’s in the mindset. The culture is not suitable for a democracy as much as the constitution is designed. Has Japan ever had a revolution for democracy? The process of liberalization is missing. The democratization in 1946 instead was put on the people who had no choice. That democracy was forced onto the people itself is not democratic.

Many would rather follow and do what they’re told and just accept their fate as the working class. Very rarely do you see any grassroots movements. Change if any is brought about only by the upper Samurai CEOs and politicians but there is little incentive given the statusquo. Instead the goal of the people is to strive to be in the ruling Samurai class.

There is hope though in the age of the Internet and Twitter as I see people participating and voicing their opinions in forums.

Foreigners cant vote... we pay our taxes, and as permanent residents are subjected to Global taxation, but have "diddly squat" to say in the way those taxes are used.

Maybe even a kleptocracy as of late.

@BigYen

Yeah, I'm fairly sure that a massive majority of 18-25 year olds in any country in the world would say their democratic assembly wasn't helping them either.

I agree with you. Also, I was surprised that only 30% of young Japanese said that the Diet isn't helping people's lives. This number is actually rather low, at least when compared to similar surveys made in western countries.

Social change is not going to happen, thus the plethora of grumpy old people bitter about anyone looking slightly happy. Thankfully the youth as usual are questioning this mindset...until they have to conform and grow into being a grumpy old person. I think it's funny watching a whole society sink into suffering without a whimper. My wife's thinks not so funny. She can see it too but still has that hope that things will change.

"30% of young Japanese say Diet not helping people's lives"

So instead of a Diet, try exercising.

Factor in the cultural tendencies that a) the Japanese are taught not to question or scrutinize authority, and b) wouldn't even know when they are being screwed over as they don't have a baseline to understand any form of 'freedom' - the real numbers of dissatisfaction are far higher. The proof is in the pudding.

The US is NOT a democracy. Sadly it has become an oligarchy.

@quercetum

The culture is not suitable for a democracy as much as the constitution is designed. Has Japan ever had a revolution for democracy? 

Bingo. This is the reason why only two countries in Asia are considered fully democratic, Korea and Taiwan, and both gained their democracies via people protesting against dictators on the street.

Democracy is something that is to be won via people fighting for it with their sweat and blood, not something just handed down by outside power, such democratization attempts by outside meddling always fail, as Japan, Afghanistan, and Iraq prove.

TOKYO

...the Diet is not helping to improve people's lives...

Of course it isn't. Japanese politicians, especially LDP good old boys from the sticks, are basically out to help themselves.

alwaysspeakingwisdomApr. 4  02:37 pm JST

and in America

The job approval rating of Congress as a whole is 18 percent.

What, trying to change the topic to American politics because you can't think of any excuses for Japanese Diet members?

This is what happens when you get self-entitled old relics who were born with silver spoons in their mouths and whose only purpose of clinging on to their jobs is to line their own pockets. These people have no clue as to how the ordinary person's life is like and are very dismissive of complaints from little people struggling with everyday life and money.

It's must be nice knowing that their main supporters in the rural areas have votes worth five times that of urban-dwellers.

One feels for these forgotten millions. Fed up with the paucity of ideas and hidebound rigidity characterizing their country’s leadership, especially in contrast with the youthfully exuberant societies to their West, these young people are simply calling it like it is. But is anybody listening?

Not really unique to Japan is it? Most Parliaments/ Governments look after their National Interests, NOT their nationals' interest. Their 'elected officials', often political families, are mostly self-serving with their snouts in the trough, whether it is amakudari, lobbying, post-government consulting, or the speakers' circuit. The people (slaves) just pay for it.

30% of young Japanese say Diet not helping people's lives

but 50% did not have an opinion.

and in America

The job approval rating of Congress as a whole is 18 percent.

????

@quercetum that's all right, western "democracy" is a laughing stock now. you guys can keep it. I mean just look around, brexit, trump, divided society, staggering gap between rich and poor. so superior, lol