politics

Opposition DPJ takes aim at Abe over scandals, Abenomics

20 Comments
By Linda Sieg and Hitoshi Ishida

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

20 Comments
Login to comment

The Liberal Democratic Party are neither Liberal or Democratic but they sure do love to Party with the taxpayer`s money.

Yes, they're socialists except that they only believe in welfare payments to people who fund their election campaigns and find lucrative post-retirement work for them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

“It depends on us,” he said. Edano said not all the scandal revelations had originated with his party, but asked if the Democrats had more ammunition in store, he replied: “Of course we have.”

http://www.sankei.com/politics/news/141030/plt1410300001-n1.html

No you don't. LDP can play the same game going through the donations with fine tooth comb.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The Liberal Democratic Party are neither Liberal or Democratic but they sure do love to Party with the taxpayer`s money.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

who cares what they think.

If people were capable of independent thought, we would be all the better off. But people prefer to be told what to think. Unlike horses, you can lead people to water (or cyanide) and make them drink.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Wow, -6 for that comment. Guess there are some that love the DPJ and LDP still!

Well, as articulating their opinions in written responses to your comment seems to be a bit beyond their intellectual capacity, who cares what they think.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The DPJ are not so different to the LDP, they have the same roots, a similar proportion of in-bred family/career politicians, and the same slavish devotion to money politics and buying voters. It's easy being in opposition, attacking the ruling party, but they seem to never put forward a workable alternative.

What about the JCP?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Can we not have an opposition hat actually discusses policy.

There is no "opposition", the two parties are just different sides of the same coin. Heads or tails, you lose.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Wow, -6 for that comment. Guess there are some that love the DPJ and LDP still!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Can we not have an opposition hat actually discusses policy. All this bs about paper fans and SM bars is childish and ridiculous. They should be talking about labor market reform and demographics.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

If it wasn't for the political parties watching each other, there would be more corruption. Tedious and uninspiring for the public, but it helps to keep politicians in line, sort of.

This is not really true. In a two-party system there aren't really two parties, there is a single group of politicians who play against each other for the benefit of themselves. But of course this doesn't benefit us. It's much like the "good-cop, bad-cop" routine police use to get suspects to cooperate.

You often hear of politicians changing parties, and they do this is easily as changing clothes if they feel that their party affiliation might risk their election or reelection campaigns. The two-party system divides people into two sides by making promises, and telling each side what they want to hear. Dividing the people into two groups makes them easier to control, and by fomenting issues to increase disagreements, the people are so busy fighting against each other that the politicians can loot and squander at will. Politicians can change sides easily enough, but how about the poor fools who follow them? Once you become a liberal or a conservative, you generally stay one way or the other. You're all being had by the LDP, DPJ, Republican, Democrat, Tories, or Whigs. You deserve whatever you get.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If it wasn't for the political parties watching each other, there would be more corruption. Tedious and uninspiring for the public, but it helps to keep politicians in line, sort of.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The DPJ are not so different to the LDP, they have the same roots, a similar proportion of in-bred family/career politicians, and the same slavish devotion to money politics and buying voters. It's easy being in opposition, attacking the ruling party, but they seem to never put forward a workable alternative.

Their brief sojourn in government was badly damaged by the Fukushima disaster, a result of decades of earlier LDP decisions, which consumed most of the time and attention of the public, but besides their attempts to manage it and deflect criticism of then PM Kan, they did very little else.

As others have said, it's the best government money can buy!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The voters would be foolish to go back to such an abject failure as the DPJ, when there are other alternatives.

If people like high taxes and big government they can vote for say the communist party, and if they like low taxes and smaller government then they can vote for say the Ishin party.

Edano said Abe’s growth strategy was already proving a failure, and delaying an unpopular sales tax rise planned for next year would be tantamount to admitting policy defeat.

He makes a good point, but it would have been made better were he not a DPJ politician. The economy is at least better than it was when the DPJ was in charge, even if the improvement has been largely due to the 30-40% yen depreciation, rather than the elusive pro-growth reforms that Abe promised.

Simon Foston, never a truer word written. I have no idea what principles the DPJ stands for, and it's because they don't either.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

What David said.

I'm virulently anti-LDP, but there is no coherent ideology opposing the assorted rightists and neoliberals making up Abe's team. The DPJ, during their brief time in power and today, clearly lacks convictions or vision about how to improve Japan. It's made up of a certain faction temporarily out of power. It's entire purpose is simply to get back into power. What they would do differently or better, well, that's beside the point, isn't it. Want to sell yourself as an alternative, then pick 5 core issues, stake out clearly superior positions and run with that. Stand for something, for the people and not elite interests, and maybe you'd find your popularity growing.

Obviously, I won't hold my breath.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Japanese people love Abe...

I think "tolerate" would be a better word. Anyone could have beat the DPJ in 2012, and less than half of the electorate actually voted for the LDP.

But the DPJ are useless. They need to decide what their ideology is, form a coherent manifesto and then tell any members who disagree with it to leave while inviting other politicians who do support it to join them. A leader with a bit of backbone and charisma wouldn't go amiss either.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Sadly, while I can hardly hold the LDP and Abe in high regard, it seems like the comments from the DPJ show the DPJ in even a less positive light.

Here's a hint, DPJ: Instead of gloating about "ammunition" to unleash a bunch of petty scandals, or sitting back and merely sniping and criticizing Abe's policies, you make and talk about your own?

Sitting back and merely saying "you're wrong, you're wrong, that's wrong, that's wrong," without ever saying what is the right path to take, is not governance. It isn't leadership, it isn't any of the thing Japan needs on a national political level. It's mere back row wise cracking, the sort that annoys teachers in school, and doesn't get any more impressive as you enter adulthood.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Japan needs people who can get the job done.

And this party is the DPJ? How many scandles erupted during the DPJ's brief hold on power? How many DPJ prime ministers "served" in the short period?

Japan needs a government that represents the majority of the people, not just the superrich.

I hate to break the news to you, but there is no such governement in the workd. Governments either support the rich, or themselves. Whether it is Japan, America, Russia, Brazil, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, or ancient Rome. The only system which supports the people is a system where there is no government.

If you want to be represented, you had better work hard and make yourself rich. But once you are rich, you will find that the government doesn't really represent you either. You will be taxed, regulated, maligned, and abused, unless you are willing to pay for for someone's election campaign, provide jobs to friends and relatives of politicians, or agree to work on government projects in exchange for the above.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Michael, what you say is perfectly logic. The only problem is that Abe and his wrecking crew are clueless and do-less. Anyone who seriously believes that Abenomics would fix the Japanese economy is living in another world.

Japan needs people who can get the job done. Abe failed before and he is failing now. Japan needs a government that represents the majority of the people, not just the superrich.

9 ( +15 / -6 )

Politics is no more than a petty squabble here... Why put all your energy into taking down your opposition when you could put it into doing your job...

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Japanese people love Abe, so his power will stand, until such time when economy problems trump nationalism feelings. But in Japan, that can take a very long time.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites