politics

Koike's party unveils 1st list of 192 candidates for upcoming election

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"The Party of Hope" - Is that the best they could come up with? I seriously 'hope' their party policies have more imagination than its name.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

I was just thinking last night, what if this new party by Koike is a ploy to further weaken the left, form another right leaning party, and then after the election join forces with the LDP and have a super majority, that can and will be able to pass any legislation they want to?

Maybe I wan't following the news carefully, but I did not think that Koike was so right wing. I know, she is a member of Nippon no Kaigi, but I thought that everybody who wanted to get ahead had to join them. But now, seeing how they are culling those members from Minshinto who don't agree with their right wing ideology, it is a little scary.

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In total, I think (the number) will be more than 233, making it quite possible for us to aim for a change of government," said Masaru Wakasa, seeking reelection for the lower house, said after announcing the list Tuesday.

Believe me, if you get anywhere enough votes to put a major dent into the current administration Abe is going to be forced out to take responsibility for the loss.

Abe is already on the campaign trail "complaining" (crying) about how the media is focused on the new parties and their policies and agendas and not on him and the LDP.

If this trend continues, Abe is going to be hard pressed getting his message out, and the opposition stands to gain a hell of a lot more seats.

I think it's pay back time for Abe!

"The Party of Hope" - Is that the best they could come up with? I seriously 'hope' their party policies have more imagination than its name.

It's better in Japanese. Problem is folks focus on the English and tend to forget that in Japanese, while the translation may be accurate, doesn't convey the nuance very well.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

This election is all pointless. Nonsense!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I was just thinking last night, what if this new party by Koike is a ploy to further weaken the left,

I don't think so. She really does not care about existence of the Japanese left in general. Sure she is a well-known conservative and does not believe in socialism or pacifism, but she is not trying to destroy the left. She is rather indifferent to the left. 

What she is trying is to build a party that can replace LDP so that the people can have a REALISTIC alternative, and she knows a party that advocates pacifism shall never be seriously considered as an alternative to LDP to run the nation. As you may know, the Japanese Communist Party considers Japan's Self Defense Force as unconstitutional and plans to disband it once they get to the power. Most Japanese people are not ready for that and perhaps never. 

She is a conservative in general sense. She does not believe in socialism; she believes in free market oriented capitalism. She believes in a strong defense (hence cooperation with US); she does not believe in pacifism. I do not consider these position as a "right wing." These are rather unremarkable positions in most nations in the world.

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"We don't plan to stand competing candidates in electoral districts where our friends who were in the same party as us on Sept. 28 are standing,"

That would be stupid were it true. Democracy is not about competing groups of friends but competing policies. Even friends can have completely different policy ideas, as adults all know from personal experience.

I think the truth is that they just don't have candidates to put up, at this time.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Socrateos, I hope you are right. But after a good start, it seems that Koike and her group have really tacked hard to the right. The problem with strong defense and market capitalism, is that it is usually the citizens who suffer the most, and money is spent on arms, or by not taxing companies.

I think a lot of people that voted for her in the Tokyo election thought they were getting something different.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I really do hope Koike will do some good but I wished she wouldnt have teamed up with Matsui and Ozawa who are like wolves in sheep's clothing.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The problem with strong defense and market capitalism, is that it is usually the citizens who suffer the most,..

Take a look at USA, for instance. Koike's political positions (Strong Defense and Market-oriented economy) are a common ground for both Democrats and Republicans. And yet, they are fierce rivals, providing a choice for the people. The same thing can be said of UK and many other countries.

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what's the difference between the party of hope and the ldp? their platform seems almost identical besides PoH wants to eliminate nuclear power and not raise the consumption tax, which for me really is a deal breaker. we need to raise the consumption tax. japanese tax payers can't continue to kick this problem down the road with an aging population that will consume a huge portion of future spending.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I'd rather the government stop spending my tax money on failed business models, it would appear that "thrifty" is not in the lexicon of politics. We get taxed on what we earn and again on what we spend. They spend it on propping up their friends businesses. Wasn't the last tax increase to service debt, that didn't happen. The next increase child care, education, that was promised 5 years ago what happened to debt reduction? Give ministers an island to live on, the rest of us will be fine without these people.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

what's the difference between the party of hope and the ldp? their platform seems almost identical.

Take a look at USA, for instance. Koike's political positions as well as LDP's (Strong Defense and Market-oriented economy) are a common ground for both Democrats and Republicans. And yet, they are fierce rivals, providing a choice for the people. The same thing can be said of UK and many other countries. That's what Koike is trying to achieve - a choice for the people on a common ground that is required to run a nation.

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It's hard to understand why PM Shinzo Abe called for a snap election this time around. Did he call for it out of a fear over North Korean missile launchings, or did he do it to evade the opposition's attack on his cronyism and favoritism involving the Take Gakuin and Moritomo Gakuen issues or to forge ahead with a constitutional amendment? 

One thing is clear, though. He woke up a sleeping dog in a combatant Yuriko Koike and his calling for the snap election would certainly backfire, reducing the number of LDP seats in the lower house. No doubt about it.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@voiceofokinawa Just for one more term.

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Take a look at USA, for instance. Koike's political positions (Strong Defense and Market-oriented economy) are a common ground for both Democrats and Republicans. And yet, they are fierce rivals, providing a choice for the people. The same thing can be said of UK and many other countries.

But they don't provide a choice, that's why so many people are angry with the current state of politics. Trump or Clinton, May or some Blairite clone, what kind of choice is that? Free market, crony capitalist neo-liberalism...or free market, crony capitalist neo-liberalism. Abe or Koike, it's all the same. None are addressing the real problems that the people face.

Jeremy Corbyn (God bless him) and the Labour Party recently floated the idea of renationalising rail, water and energy in the UK - surprisingly it was met with massive support. That's the kind of thinking needed now, not more of the same nonsense that has failed so clearly over the last 30 years.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Back on topic please. Other countries are not relevant to this discussion.

I'd like to see a strong consolidated left wing party alongside Koike's. With any luck conservatives will be split between Koike and the LDP and liberals could vote for the left wing party. That should permanently weaken the LDP. What has kept the LDP and its dinosaurs in power for longer than most middle eastern dicatorships is the lack of a TRUE opposition either right or left of it.  Up til now the LDP has been the only real party with the other groups engaged in musical chairs, ridiculing Japan's so called democracy. That's why Abe has been able to run roughshod for the past 5 years.  With the Party of Hope, that is actually changing.  The political Landscape is changing, and that is what Japan sorely needs.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

i wholehartedly disagree with you socrateos. repub and demo are vastly different on social and economic issues. there is very little common ground between the two besides military spending. but koike's new party can hardly be seen as some great change for japan. it's pretty much the status quo, another head from the same monster. i had high hopes for koike, but now that she has presented her main platform, i don't see any new "hope" for japan really.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

With Koike not running for PM the opposition parties do not stand a chance

Abe will change the constitution, stay in power for years and years and our children will be sent off to fight wars that have nothing to do with us.

Shameful.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Abe's plan to change Article 16 will pass. Then he will wait one more year to propose Article 9. As long as bases. are occupied by foreign Military forces, LDP will face opposition of Article 9 change. .

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