Die japanische Innenpolitik 2007/2008 und Japans Parteien

Japanese domestic politics and political parties

This article covers the development of Japanese politics from the resignation of then Prime Minister Shinzō Abe over the short-lived Fukuda Cabinet until the appointment of the newest cabinet led by Tarō Asō. The conflict between the ruling coalition controlling the Lower House and the Upper House dominated by the opposition parties will be outlined in some detail and will be analyzed from a broader, comparative perspective. After all, deadlocks between the two Houses of Parliament are not a Japan-specific phenomenon, but have in the past also occurred in Western democracies, e.g. in Germany. The remaining subchapters will deal with elections, such as the governor election in Ōsaka which resulted in the birth of the youngest governor in postwar history, scandals, in particular at the Ministry of Defense, and political parties. In this last chapter, a particular focus will be on the LDP’s repeated leadership shuffles and the formation of some new, smaller parties and organizations, such as the Hiranuma Group or the Kaikaku Club.