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© KYODOJapan should improve democracy, ex-PM Noda says in speech for Abe
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dagon
Citing Abe's longevity in power when Japan has been a One party state since the end of the Occupation shows how few accomplishments Japanese democracy can show.
The memorial hit train of revisionist hagiography continues for Abe.
How about getting to work on the plummeting economy LDP if it is truly a representative democracy?
Michael Machida
Japan is not a Democratic country. Looks like it from afar, but no. I carry a Gaijin card with me every day so I don't have to go to jail. That is not a Democratic country.
BigP
Definitely NOT democratic!
plasticmonkey
but let it yield to bribery, nepotism, and corruption.
Yeah right
Cricky
All of the above.
Yotomaya
Which the "kind-hearted and caring" former PM did his best to muzzle.
If we rely on speech as a requirement for a functioning democracy(lol), having an exclusive journalist club and a "foreign media policing website" is definitely not the way to go.
It seems Noda is just trying to appease the moderate CDJP voter base without insulting LDP nationalists.
Sanjinosebleed
HAHA he is kidding right!!?? Japan and democracy are mutually exclusive terms.
dan
Japan is anything but democratic.
Yrral
Start,by practicing, Liberty, Equality,and Justice for all ,it would be start
Yubaru
Pray tell, besides Utopia, name one country that actually practices this! These ideals are just propaganda to keep people thinking they have a chance!
plasticmonkey
Because Abe was good at kissing a$$.
Septim Dynasty
The Unification Church's democracy in Japan is probably what Noda wants to uphold.
Both UC and Soka Gakkai own Japanese politics under the order from Washington DC, while Nippon Kaigi is a joke conference of submissive, cowardly Japanese elitists to bash their Korean/American masters in the back.
Chabbawanga
Can we please stop talking about Abe. Unless of course we want to discuss why Japan is in the dire financial situation it currently stands. The monetary easing and misdirected stimulus continues to crush the yen as we speak.
noriahojanen
It's a personal and existential view (N=1), and "no card to detention" is an inaccurate claim.
Democracy Index (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2021) ranks Japan at 17th, Freedom House rates the country as a free and democratic country. In both indices Japan is placed above the US, the UK and other major democracies.
Of course Japan is far from perfect, and that's why Noda was calling for further efforts, further improvements.
socrateos
Nobody is perfect, but freely criticizing Japanese government and political leaders as shown in comments here is a good indicator to be called Democratic. You cannot do that in N Korea, China, Russia, and many other countries.
Yotomaya
True, but neither the US nor the UK have been making the news for being well-functioning democracies. Both countries and Japan, however, are still in the "Full Democracy" category, which makes me question the methodology of such a report.
All these countries keep doing progressively worse on the Free Speech Index, Japan has an abysmal record on female representation, the US's Supreme Court has basically no accountability to the vast majority of the country's population and the UK is little more than an oligarchy at this point.
Perhaps, to some, such as the commenters here as well as politicians, a democracy is synonymous with openness to free markets. If that's the case, we're using the term differently.
Being able to criticise the government doesn't mean your voice will be heard. I'm glad I or anyone I know doesn't go to prison for calling the PM a moron, but that doesn't mean he and people like him won't retain their power to make decisions that affect us (mostly negatively) without us having any say in the matter. That's what's antithetical to democracy.
Garthgoyle
Improve democracy as in people could now vote for the prime minister instead of the party?
BakabonPapa
Noda was basically an opposition PM in LDP clothing (or the reverse case), and he let Abe trick him into allowing the LDP/Komeito coalition to seize power in 2012. Abe was a far greater threat to democracy in Japan than violence or terrorism. People are too quick to forget how he tried to control and muzzle the media, how disrespectful he and his ministers were toward opposition politicians and people who campaigned for their rights, and how his administrations encouraged rightist groups to enlist people and run wild.
Moonraker
Good post, blue. Rare for posters to have their views clearly backed up like this.
Eastman
not democracy but "demokrashiiiiiiii"....
socrateos
Yotomaya:
There have been so many PM's decisions that were revoked because of outcries of the people. A cabinet minister appointed by Kishida was forced to resign a few days ago due to criticism of the people regarding his relationship with Unification Church, for instance.
Yotomaya
True, but one minister resigning affects most people very little. Staging the Olympics or moving military bases explicitly against the will of the host cities' residents, giving tax brakes to the richest while raising taxes for regular consumers and crushing unions does.
Reshuffles and stories of politicians' personal flaws make for good news stories. They, however, have very little to do with how accountable these politicians are to their voters as opposed the corporate interests backing them. Don't most of these "scandal-hit" politicians just end up moving to a different cushy, well-paid job out of the public eye anyway?
What's more, the LDP itself never stepped down over any scandals, meaning any of these personnel changes are nothing but PR.
socrateos
Garthgoyle:
Japan has adopted a parliamentary system like England, not a presidential system. PM is selected by its parliament, which usually results in selecting a leader of the largest party. Most Europen countries adopt a parliamentary system (32 of 50).
*A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the legislature, typically a parliament, to which it is accountable. (Wikipedia)*
Algernon LaCroix
Democracy with Japanese characteristics
Aly Rustom
I'll agree with those here that say that Japan is not a democracy. It isn't at all.
Aly Rustom
I don't think Abe tricked him at all. Like you said he was and still is an LDP man in opposition clothing. He even gloated about it in his book Enemy of the DPJ: Government Change Has a Good Cause. Pretty much admitting he was an assassin candidate for LDP.
Hear! Hear!
Aly Rustom
blue- EXCELLENT POST! as usual. Hat off to you sir!
Gaijinjland
@Micheal Machida
Every democratic nation on earth requires tourists to carry their passport at all times while abroad (even written inside passports) and legal foreign residents to carry carry a government issued ID (zairyu card in Japan). And at least in my experience, they won’t put you in jail if you step out of your home and forgot your wallet or even lost it. I’ve lost my card a couple times and never had trouble.
Cricky
Lots of down votes but not any counter arguments. Is it stupidity or just laziness.
Hideomi Kuze
Japanese democracy will be end before being improved.
Incompetent LDP politics who has no interest except maintaining their regime is now biggest threat to the lives or health or daily life or future of citizen over neighbouring countries.
But, many Japanese who have no interest to politics don't notice even that politics causes many social issues such as expansion of poverty and inequality or failing domestic Covid19 measures, don't try to change regime by voting.
PM repeats falsehood or deception at the Diet, public documents or statistics are scrapped or tampered by government frequently.
Critical thinking has been lost from domestic news shows, commentators or news program who can criticize LDP government have disappeared from major TV channels.
Press freedom index of Japan stay down since Abe regime.
William Round
If this is the opposition no wonder there is never any change to the party in power.
itsonlyrocknroll
Isn't it remarkable that former Prime Ministers, always self righteously find it within themselves to demand present Governments to legislate agendas they shamefully failed to carry out when they had the opportunity in office?
Rodney
Democracy is a failure. Greed is a winner.
proxy
Japan is a democracy. More political power in Japan lies with elected PTA leaders who are responsive to the needs of their communities than is appreciated. If you want something done, go to the PTA. Municipal leaders, who often come from a PTA are the second most powerful politically in Japan and they are elected in competitive campaigns in a marketplace of ideas. The third most important political level is at the prefecture level where politicians like Yuriko Koike rise to the top. National politicians are the least important for voters and are considered an indulgence of sorts.
Real political power in Japan is on your local street, your PTA, your community association, community groups at the kominkan and local municipal leaders.
It is local politicians, responding to local demands from voters who are allowing same-sex couples to register at local town offices. That is democracy.