Opposition parties say LDP election mirrors discontent within party

Opposition parties can say anything they like, but the truth is, it is they who lack leadership and are unable to put up a real challenge for the top job.

Do the hustleToday 07:48 am JST

Opposition parties can say anything they like, but the truth is, it is they who lack leadership and are unable to put up a real challenge for the top job.

A very over-simplified viewpoint. They also lack the numbers to compete with the LDP. Let's see what happens if a single party manages to run as many candidates as the LDP does. The CDPJ managed 63 in the last election and 55 of them won, so...

A very over-simplified viewpoint. They also lack the numbers to compete with the LDP. Let's see what happens if a single party manages to run as many candidates as the LDP does. The CDPJ managed 63 in the last election and 55 of them won, so...

Simon agree! We also cannot forget that the LDP is backed by Komeito where all the SGI put their votes, and they can be quite influential.

The CDPJ managed 63 in the last election and 55 of them won, so...

Because they fought only where they could win.

hiragino4410Today 03:40 pm JST

"The CDPJ managed 63 in the last election and 55 of them won, so..."*

Because they fought only where they could win.

Are you suggesting that if they had so chosen they could have run candidates in another two hundred or so constituency elections?

Simon Foston

I'm saying even if they could put up more candidates they would still lose big time. Just look up party support poll. https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/hst/poll/graph_seitou.html

Even Leftist Asahi says only 6% support CDPJ.  Unaffiliated voters arent fond of CDPJ either as far as I know.

hiragino4410Today 06:28 pm JST

I'm saying even if they could put up more candidates they would still lose big time. Just look up party support poll. https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/hst/poll/graph_seitou.html

Quite likely you're right, unfortunately. Still I think there's an element of chicken and egg going on - of course people aren't going to say they support a party they don't have the option of voting for. Moreover I can't imagine Abe or any other LDP politicians managing any better in the same situation, they owe more to opposition weaknesses than their own strengths. Somewhat ironic given how much they like to say all the opposition do is criticise the LDP instead of offering a viable alternative.

Greetings to all. This is my first time writing on Japan Today. I have been reading this newspaper since 2013.

I think the opposition parties still don't understand what century they live in, at least most left-wing parties. 

That's why they don't win elections because their election programs can be described as utopian. Very nice but unreal.

I am Spanish and live in Spain. And even if it's surprising. Spanish politics is very similar to Japanese politics. 

Greetings.

dougthehead13Today 01:36 am JST

I think the opposition parties still don't understand what century they live in, at least most left-wing parties. 

As opposed to the average elderly LDP politician who wants to turn the clock back to 1935.

That's why they don't win elections because their election programs can be described as utopian. Very nice but unreal.

Have you seen the airy-fairy stuff the LDP come up with? The opposition parties don't win because they don't have enough candidates, because right-wing LDP incumbents start off with huge advantages in terms of name recognition and financial support, and because the current disparity in the value of votes ensures that right-wing rural voters elect more Diet members that liberal-leaning urban voters do. They have also been effectively portrayed as doing nothing but criticising the LDP, even though the LDP came to power mainly by capitalising on discontent with the 2009-2013 DPJ administration, i.e. a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.