Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan
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It has been suggested that this section be split out into articles titled Constitutional Democratic Party (Japan, 2017) and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (2020). (Discuss) (December 2023) |
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (立憲民主党, Rikken-minshutō, CDP[10] or CDPJ[11]) is a liberal[12] political party in Japan. It is the primary centre-left party in Japan,[13][14] and as of 2024 is the second largest party in the National Diet behind the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).[15]
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan 立憲民主党 Rikken-minshutō | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CDP or CDPJ |
| Leader | Kenta Izumi |
| Deputy Leader | Seiji Osaka Chinami Nishimura Kiyomi Tsujimoto |
| Secretary-General | Katsuya Okada |
| Chairman of the Policy Bureau | Akira Nagatsuma |
| Founder | Yukio Edano |
| Founded | 3 October 2017 15 September 2020[a] |
| Merger of |
|
| Split from | Democratic Party (2016)[a] |
| Preceded by | Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan[a] |
| Headquarters | 2-12-4 Fuji Building 3F, Hirakawa-chō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093, Japan |
| Newspaper | Rikken-minshu[4] |
| Youth wing | RikkenYouth[5] |
| Membership (2021) | 100,267[6] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre to centre-left |
| International affiliation | Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (observer) |
| Colors | Blue[7] |
| Slogan | 人へ 未来へ まっとうな政治へ Hitoe Miraie Mattouna Seijie[8] ("For people, for the future, for honest politics.") |
| Councillors | 38 / 248 |
| Representatives | 98 / 465 |
| Prefectural assembly members | 232 / 2,644 |
| Municipal assembly members[9] | 712 / 29,135 |
| Election symbol | |
| Website | |
| |
It was founded in October 2017 as a split from the Democratic Party ahead of the 2017 general election.[13] In late 2020, the party was re-founded following a merger with majorities of the Democratic Party For the People and the Social Democratic Party as well as some independent lawmakers.
The party's platform supports raising the minimum wage, expanded welfare policies, the legalization of same-sex marriage, increased gender equality, multiculturalism, abortion rights,[16] renewable energy policies, decentralization, a multilateral foreign policy, the revision of the U.S.–Japan Status of Forces Agreement, tax reform and electoral reform.[17] The party strongly opposes efforts to amend the Japanese Constitution to reinterpret Article 9 or codify the status of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and also opposes nuclear power.
History edit
Formation and 2017 election edit
The party was formed in the run up to the 2017 general election from a split of the centre-left wing of the opposition Democratic Party (DP).[18][19][20][21] Prior to the election on 28 September 2017, the DP House of Representatives caucus dissolved in order for party members to stand as candidates for Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike's Party of Hope or as independents in the upcoming election.[22]
The new party was launched on 2 October 2017 by DP deputy leader Yukio Edano at a press conference in Tokyo for liberals and left-leaning members of the DP who do not wish to, or were rejected for, contesting the election as candidates for the Party of Hope.[23][24]
On 3 October 2017, it was announced that the new party would not contest seats where former Democrats were running as Party of Hope candidates,[25] a gesture which was not returned when the Party of Hope ran a candidate in Edano's incumbent district. The Japanese Communist Party (JCP), in turn, pulled their own candidate from running in Edano's district so as to not take away votes from him.[26] The party won a total of 55 seats,[20] becoming the leading opposition party and leading the pacifist bloc (including the JCP and Social Democratic Party) to become the largest opposition bloc.
In July 2020, the CDP became an observer affiliate of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats.[27]
2020 merger and refoundation edit
On 19 August 2020, the CDP announced that it would merge with the majority of the Democratic Party For the People (DPP) as well as some independent Diet members in September of that year.[28]
On 10 September 2020, the new party elected Edano as leader and voted to retain the CDP name.[29] Following the merger, the new CDP had 149 members and held 107 seats in the House of Representatives, compared to 156 members and 96 seats held by the Democratic Party in 2016. The independents who joined the CDP in this merger included former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Several conservative DPP members, including DPP president Yuichiro Tamaki, did not join the CDP and instead continued to lead a rump DPP independent of the CDP.[30][15]
On 14 November 2020, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) voted to agree to a merger arrangement with the CDP, allowing SDP members to leave the party and join the CDP.[31] SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima was opposed to the merger agreement and as a result remained in the Social Democratic Party.[31]
The CDP contested the 2021 general election in an electoral pact co-operating with the JCP, Reiwa Shinsengumi and continuing DPP and SDP parties in fielding single opposition candidates in single-seat constituencies.[32] Edano resigned as party leader following the election on 2 November 2021, due to poorer than expected electoral results, in which the CDP fell from 110 to 96 seats.[33][34]
Kenta Izumi was elected as the leader of the CDP in the 2021 Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leadership election on 30 November 2021. Formerly a member of the DPP, he said that the two parties are regarded by the public as "close" and "thought to be like brothers" and "expressed support for a tie-up" between the two.[39]
Ideology and platform edit
The CDP has been described as liberal[40][12] and social-liberal,[41] and in favour of constitutionalism.[42] The party has also been described as progressive,[43][44] left-wing populism,[45] and centre-left,[20][19][46] and following its enlargement in 2020 has variously been described as liberal,[30] centrist,[47] or centre-left.[13][14] Within the CDP, as with its predecessor the Democratic Party of Japan, there are conservative politicians,[b] as well as politicians from social-democratic backgrounds.[48][49][50]
At launch in 2017, the CDP opposed the proposed revision of Article 9 of Japan's postwar constitution.[20][51][52] The party supports the phasing out of nuclear energy in Japan,[53] and government investment in renewable energy.[54] The party does not support the legalization and maintenance of casinos.[55] The party supports "building a society that supports each other and makes full use of individuality and creativity."[56][57] In their 2017 political programme, the party expressed support for grassroots democracy and diplomatic pacifism.[58] The CDP has expressed negative views about the Statue of Peace and has called on the South Korean government to remove the Statue of Peace.[59][failed verification]
In 2019, the party pledged to support LGBT rights and the legalization of same-sex marriage in Japan,[60] and in March 2023, promoted a parliamentary bill for Japan to legally recognise such couplings.[61]
The party supported a freeze in the increase of the consumption tax as of 2017,[62][63] and supports a temporary consumption tax cut as of 2020, along with higher taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals.[15] In the run-up to the 2021 general election, party leader Edano stated his party's support for redistribution of wealth.[64] The 2021 election platform offered support for progressive taxation, a pledge for additional welfare payments for citizens on low incomes, and raising the capital gains tax rate to 25% by 2023.[65]
Leadership edit
As of February 2, 2024.[66][67][68][69][70]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Leader | Kenta Izumi |
| Deputy Leader | Seiji Osaka |
| Chinami Nishimura | |
| Kiyomi Tsujimoto | |
| Secretary-General | Katsuya Okada |
| Chairman of the Policy Bureau | Akira Nagatsuma |
| Election Campaign Committee chief | Hiroshi Ogushi |
| Diet Affairs Committee chief | Jun Azumi |
| Joint House General Council chief | Ryūhei Kawada |
List of the Leaders edit
| No. | Leader (birth–death) | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Election results | Prime Minister (term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Split from: Democratic Party (2016) (centre-left) | ||||||||
| 1 | Yukio Edano (b. 1964) | Rep for Saitama 5th | 3 October 2017 | 14 September 2020 | 2017 Unopposed | Abe S. 2012–20 | ||
| Merger of: Democratic Party For the People (centre-right; majority faction) ＆ Some Independents Group | ||||||||
| 1 | Yukio Edano (b. 1964) | Rep for Saitama 5th | 15 September 2020 | 12 November 2021 | 2020[c] Yukio Edano – 107 Kenta Izumi – 42 | Abe S. 2012–20 | ||
| Suga 2020–21 | ||||||||
| Kishida 2021–present | ||||||||
| 2 | Kenta Izumi (b. 1974) | Rep for Kyoto 3rd | 30 November 2021 | Incumbent | Kenta Izumi – 205 Seiji Osaka – 128 | |||
Election results edit
House of Representatives edit
| Election | Leader | No. of candidates | Seats | Position | Constituency votes | PR Block votes | Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | ± | Share | No. | Share | No. | Share | |||||
| 2017 | Yukio Edano | 78 | 55 / 465 | 11.8% | 2nd | 4,852,097 | 8.75% | 11,084,890 | 19.88% | Opposition | |
| Merger of: Democratic Party For the People (centre-right; majority faction) ＆ Some Independents Group (2020) | |||||||||||
| 2021 | Yukio Edano | 240 | 96 / 465 | 20.6% | 2nd | 17,215,621 | 29.96% | 11,492,095 | 20.00% | Opposition | |
House of Councillors edit
| Election | Leader | No. of candidates | Seats | Position | Constituency votes | Party list votes | Status | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | ± | Share | Not up | Total[d] | No. | Share | No. | Share | |||||
| 2019 | Yukio Edano | 42 | 17 / 124 | 13.7% | 15 | 32 / 245 | 2nd | 7,951,430 | 15.79% | 7,917,720 | 15.81% | Opposition | |
| Merger of: Democratic Party For the People (centre-right; majority faction) ＆ Some Independents Group (2020) | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | Kenta Izumi | 51 | 17 / 125 | 13.6% | 22 | 39 / 248 | 2nd | 8,154,330 | 15.33% | 6,771,914 | 12.77% | Opposition | |
See also edit
- Liberalism in Japan
- List of liberal parties
- Japan Socialist Party, the main opposition party in the "1955 System" against the LDP until the 1990s.
- Democratic Party of Japan
Notes edit
- ^ a b c The "old CDP" was founded on 3 October 2017[1] as a split from the Democratic Party and dissolved on 14 September 2020,[2] while the current party was founded on 15 September 2020[3] as a merger of the old CDP, the majority of the Democratic Party For the People and some independent lawmakers.
- ^ Most conservative factions within the CDP are moderate conservatives, but some CDP members belong to ultra-conservative Nippon Kaigi (ex: Hirofumi Ryu and Shū Watanabe).
- ^ Held after the merger with the Democratic Party For the People.
- ^ The Upper house is split in two classes, one elected every three years.
References edit
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立憲民主党は青だ。 [Constitutional Democratic Party is blue.]
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- ^ a b
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At the same time, the center-left Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) saw its total fall by 13 seats to 96, despite high expectations for its performance.
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The centre-left CDPJ is Japan's largest opposition party. Although it was only formed last year, the CDPJ's roots lie in the Democratic Party of Japan, which succeeded in defeating the LDP-Komeito alliance in 2009, and held power for three years.
- "Partisan Biases in U.S.-Japan Relations". Tokyo Review. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
For both the LDP and center-left Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (roughly the successors of the Democratic Party of Japan which governed from 2009-2012), the emphasis is much more on pragmatism than values.
Amory Gethin (16 November 2021). "Political Cleavages and the Representation of Social Inequalities in Japan, 1953-2017". In Amory Gethin; Clara Martinez-Toledano; Thomas Piketty (eds.). Political Cleavages and Social Inequalities: A Study of Fifty Democracies, 1948-2020. Harvard University Press. p. 358. ISBN 978-0-67-424842-7.
- "5 Key Takeaways From Japan's General Election". Center for American Progress. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
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- ^ a b c d William D. Hoover, ed. (2018). Historical Dictionary of Postwar Japan. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-5381-1156-7.
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- ^ Johnston, Eric (10 September 2020). "Yukio Edano elected chief of new CDP, Japan's top opposition party". The Japan Times. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ a b Robert J. Pekkanen; Steven R. Reed (2022). "The Opposition in 2021: A Second Party and a Third Force". In Robert J. Pekkanen; Steven R. Reed; Daniel M. Smith (eds.). Japan Decides 2021: The Japanese General Election. Springer Nature. p. 66. ISBN 978-3-03-111324-6.
- ^ a b "Social Democratic Party to split; most Diet members to join CDPJ". The Japan Times. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ . the-japan-news.com. 1 November 2021. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Coronavirus pandemic updates: Nov. 6, 2021". Kyodo News+.
- ^ "CDPJ leader Edano to resign over election setback". The Japan News. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ . Nippon.com. 30 November 2021. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ Johnston, Eric. "Japan's main opposition party seeks to rebuild under new leader Kenta Izumi". The Japan Times. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ "Japan's largest opposition elects new leader". NHK WORLD News. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ "Kenta Izumi elected leader of Japan's main opposition in runoff". Nikkei Asia. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ [35][36][12][37][38]
- ^ "Edano's new liberal party to field more than 50 candidates in Lower House election". The Japan Times. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ Spremberg, Felix (25 November 2020). "How Japan's Left is repeating its unfortunate history". International Politics & Society Journal. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
The new party programme is still decidedly left-liberal
- ^ . NHK World. NHK. 2 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ Brad Glosserman (2019). Peak Japan: The End of Great Ambitions. Georgetown University Press. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-62-616668-4.
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まず立憲民主党は左派ポピュリズムが軸です (First of all, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is centered on left-wing populism)
- ^ "Abe eyes big win as Japan votes under N. Korea threats". France 24. 22 October 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
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the centrist Constitutional Democratic Party, lost 13 seats, to end up with 96.
- "Japan's ruling conservatives have been returned to power, but amid voter frustration, challenges lurk for Kishida". The Conversation. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
The main opposition, the centrist Constitutional Democratic Party, lost 13 seats, to end up with 96. Other smaller opposition parties only shifted slightly, with the Japanese Communist Party dropping two to ten, and the centre-right Democratic Party For the People gaining three to reach 11.
- "The Dialectics of March 11: A Decade After the Japan Tsunami". Los Angeles Review of Books. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
This situation would seem to be an opportunity for Japan's political left, which has begun to consolidate around the centrist Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. However, much like the ruling party, the opposition has been tainted by corporate influence and nepotism.
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Izumi, 47, is a conservative, centrist young leader
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{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ (PDF). 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017.
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제1야당인 입헌민주당의 이즈미 겐타 대표는 이날 윤 대통령과 만나 한·일 갈등 현안인 '레이더-초계기' 문제와 소녀상 건립 문제를 언급했다고 밝혔다. 입헌민주당은 그동안 소녀상 철거를 요구해왔다.
- ^ . 25 June 2019. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ . Mainichi Daily News. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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- ^ "Japan's main opposition calls for 'wealth distribution first' ahead of election". Reuters. 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Japan opposition vows to tax the rich in election platform". Kyodo News. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "役員一覧 - 立憲民主党". Constitutional Democratic Party. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ "役員一覧 - 立憲民主党". Constitutional Democratic Party. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ "ニュース「【両院議員総会】泉「次の内閣」発足 「誰もが活躍できる、わが国を目指していく」と泉代表」 - 立憲民主党". Constitutional Democratic Party. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ Shunsuke Inoue (6 December 2021). "ジェンダー平等へ、立憲民主党の執行役員は半数が女性 泉氏の公約実現". Tokyo Shimbun. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "立憲、参院執行部人事を決定". The Asahi Shimbun. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
External links edit
- Official website