foreign media: japan's battle for phase has a strong "hereditary" color
2024-09-19
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reference news reported on september 18on september 12, the liberal democratic party presidential election officially kicked off, with a total of 9 candidates. this election will determine the next prime minister of japan, and the battle for japanese leadership has entered a white-hot stage.
the highest number of candidates in history
spain's el mundo reported on september 14 that early opinion polls show that the favorite to become japan's next prime minister is a rising political star who is much younger than other candidates. shinjiro koizumi (43) is a surfing enthusiast, former environment minister, husband of a popular tv host, and son of former prime minister junichiro koizumi, who was in power from 2001 to 2006. in recent days, shinjiro koizumi has become the focus of attention. he promises major political reforms. with his populist style and good eloquence, he could become the youngest prime minister in japanese history.
shinjiro koizumi is considered likely to win the ldp presidential election on september 27. if he is elected ldp president, he will be elected prime minister through votes from both the house of representatives and the house of councillors, as the ruling coalition led by the ldp controls a majority in both houses of parliament. in the political system of this asian country, the prime ministership is usually held by the leader of the majority party in parliament.
on september 12, about a month after the current japanese prime minister fumio kishida unexpectedly announced that he would not seek re-election as the president of the liberal democratic party, the competition for the position of japan's leader officially began. this time, nine candidates ran for the election, setting a record for the number of candidates in history. according to the election rules, voters include liberal democratic party members of parliament, local councilors, ordinary party members, etc. the one who receives more than half of the votes will be elected president. if no one receives more than half of the votes in the first round of voting, the top two will enter the second round (the runoff round) of voting.
besides koizumi, another candidate leading in opinion polls is shigeru ishiba, 67, an experienced former defense minister who advocates the creation of a nato-like organization in east asia to respond quickly and forcefully to any possible conflict. ishiba supports tokyo's historic rearmament after increasing military spending and wants to further strengthen its security alliance with the united states.
another notable aspect about the candidates is that two women are running: far-right politician sanae takaichi (63) and the more moderate yoko kamikawa (71). both are eager to break the country's "glass ceiling". according to the latest world bank report, japan ranks lowest among developed countries in terms of gender equality. women hold only about 25% of seats in the japanese parliament and less than 10% in the house of representatives. japan has never had a female prime minister.
takaichi comes from the most hardline faction of the party and holds very nationalist positions (some japanese media have even compared her to donald trump). she is currently the minister in charge of economic security. yoko kamikawa, the current foreign minister, said: "the fact that i can run this time and stand at the starting line now shows that the ldp has been completely renewed. this is a big step forward."
another candidate who has emerged as a favorite in some opinion polls is reformist politician taro kono, the current digital minister, 61. "unlike previous elections, which were mainly about how to run the country, this campaign is mainly about how to shape the world," kono said.
more than half of the candidates come from aristocratic families
japan's tokyo shimbun published an article on september 11 saying that there are so many hereditary members in the ldp presidential election that one can't help but doubt whether there is fair competition.
the election for the president of the liberal democratic party is in full swing. however, judging from the election lineup, many candidates come from parliamentary families. shinjiro koizumi called for "reform" 56 times at the press conference, which reminded people of his father, who was the prime minister of japan, and became a hot topic. can they carry out reforms that meet the expectations of the people while inheriting the privileges of their ancestors such as territory, connections and political funds?
shinjiro koizumi is not the only hereditary member of parliament among the candidates for this ldp presidential election. shigeru ishiba, taro kono, and yoshimasa hayashi also inherited their seats from their fathers who were members of parliament. katsunobu kato's father-in-law was a member of parliament. this is also the case for all ldp prime ministers since 2001. in addition to yoshihide suga, junichiro koizumi, shinzo abe, yasuo fukuda, taro aso, and fumio kishida are all hereditary members of parliament.
why is it so common for members of parliament to be hereditary?
"hereditary lawmakers not only inherit funds and organizations, but also have high visibility and are more likely to be elected. they don't have to spend time running around to local areas to win support. they can increase their presence in the party through policies and other means, making it easier for them to stand out. this situation has accumulated over time and formed the current lineup of presidential elections." emeritus professor iwai tomonobu of nihon university pointed out, "hereditary lawmakers with a greater chance of winning are pushed as candidates, and personal ability and competence are secondary factors. in this way, diversity is easily lost, and this structure of lawmakers is not very sound."
during the kishida administration, the issue of hereditary succession and preferential treatment repeatedly surfaced. in the house of representatives by-election in yamaguchi 2 last april, former defense minister nobuo kishi's eldest son chiyo kishi announced his candidacy, and his ornate family tree was posted on the official website, causing public resentment.
last january, prime minister fumio kishida's eldest son, shotaro, who was then the prime minister's secretary, was also exposed to have taken a government car to travel and go shopping during his visit to europe. he also hosted friends and relatives at the prime minister's residence, held a "year-end party" and took photos, and this behavior of not distinguishing between public and private was also exposed. shotaro was dismissed in june last year.
of course, there was a period when the ldp discussed "limiting hereditary succession". before the 2009 house of representatives election, the ldp discussed a "limiting hereditary succession" plan that stipulated that if the public recruitment process was carried out, it could be officially certified. political analyst atsuo ito recalled: "after the ldp became the ruling party again, the matter was left unresolved."
among the candidates of the liberal democratic party in the 2021 house of representatives election, 30% are "hereditary" candidates who inherited the seat of member of parliament as a relative. ito atsushi pointed out: "this situation is not accidental. people may feel close to the names they have heard of, but the electoral system, including hereditary ones, clearly favors incumbents. this is unfair and is a root problem."
"the prevalence of hereditary succession reflects that fair competition is being hampered in elections," said kei yamamoto, associate professor at ritsumeikan university.
iwai tomoko believes: "the problem is that constituencies seem to have become the personal property of politicians." japan needs to change its election mechanism so that political parties can choose constituencies based on the ability of candidates rather than their backgrounds, and also pay funds equally. he pointed out: "although there are voices advocating restrictions on inherited political funds, people will still find ways to circumvent them. perhaps separating politicians from constituencies is the fundamental solution." (compiled by tian ce and ma xiaoyun)
