LDP leads with 28% support in advance of upper house election: poll

It's just sad numbers. What's going on, Japan? Will you forever continue to be a "one-party state"?

72% are so apathetic or see no way that politicians earring ¥1.200,000 a "month" give one hoot about how their lives suck. It's two worlds, reality and fact vs my "position" as a douch.

One party state created by the CIA in the 1950s

And bolstered by the Yakuza plus other far-right groups.

Just waiting for the usual vacuous pro-LDP comments, e.g. "brilliant news... stay the course PM Abe... cannot trust the terrible useless opposition... Article 9... roaring economy... corporate profits... record low unemployment... ending child poverty... record tourist numbers... Olympics.. Trump and Abe should get married... " etc etc.

It's a sorry state of affairs when Abe can "lead" with 28% support and the useless opposition can only manage 9%. Yet in many districts voters will only have a choice of two candidates, one from each of these parties. It means 63% of voters will have to choose an old man whom they do not support, or effectively be disenfranchised.

ScroteToday  12:02 pm JST

It's a sorry state of affairs when Abe can "lead" with 28% support and the useless opposition can only manage 9%. Yet in many districts voters will only have a choice of two candidates, one from each of these parties.

The opposition isn't a party like Labour in the UK or the Democrats in the USA. There isn't even anything like the DPJ that was around ten years ago in Japan, and they were a pretty hopeless lot. If there actually were one proper, organised opposition party with some decent leadership and policies they could wipe the floor with the LDP.

Unfortunately what voters often get is a choice of only two candidates, a conservative from the LDP or a conservative from some useless splinter party like the DPP or Kibo No To. There might be a Communist candidate but no one thinks there's any point in voting for them. So there's nothing for liberally-inclined voters and no reason for conservatives to switch from LDP to LDP clone.

The Innovation Party and the Communist Party are very close to a technical draw. Only two tenths of a point separates them in vote estimation.

Maybe the Innovation Party will give us an electoral surprise. And have more real votes than the polls can predict. It will be better to take them into consideration.

dougthehead13June 30  11:52 pm JST

Maybe the Innovation Party will give us an electoral surprise. And have more real votes than the polls can predict.

Really seems a bit unlikely though. Don't you think?

It will be better to take them into consideration.

I doubt it.