{"id":42311,"date":"2026-02-13T12:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/?p=42311"},"modified":"2026-02-15T18:57:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T16:57:41","slug":"another-year-another-elections-the-current-state-of-japanese-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/another-year-another-elections-the-current-state-of-japanese-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Year, Another Elections \u2013 The Current State of Japanese Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"42311\" class=\"elementor elementor-42311\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-24c47664 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"24c47664\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-50e78377\" data-id=\"50e78377\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-19b3fa3a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"19b3fa3a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Photo: Unsplash<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7538564f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7538564f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-no-translation=\"\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<style>.elementor-element-7538564f{display:none !important}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5f87488c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5f87488c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9676baa\" data-id=\"9676baa\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-2c613605 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2c613605\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-no-translation=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-6b7a5b25\" data-id=\"6b7a5b25\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4cf42bb6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4cf42bb6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>What is happening?<\/h2><p>Elections have become something of a national pastime in Japan of late. In <strong>2024<\/strong>, the country held a general election, a nationwide vote for the <strong>House of Representatives<\/strong> \u2014 the National Diet\u2019s lower house. <strong>Last year<\/strong>, the nationwide election for half of the seats in the <strong>House of Councillors<\/strong>, the parliament\u2019s upper house, also took place. This year has already seen voters heading to the polls again, as <strong>Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/backstories\/4545\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dissolved<\/a> the lower house in January and called a <strong>snap election<\/strong> for <strong>February 8<\/strong>.<\/p><p><em>Please note that this article was written before the February 8 election and provides an overview of current developments in Japanese politics and society rather than a post-election analysis.<\/em><\/p><h2>\u00a0<\/h2><h2>What is the broader picture?<\/h2><p>Sanae Takaichi replaced her predecessor, <strong>Shigeru Ishiba<\/strong>, as president of Japan\u2019s <strong>Liberal Democratic Party<\/strong> (LDP), the country\u2019s largest political party, and as Prime Minister of Japan last October. As Japan\u2019s <strong>first female prime minister<\/strong>, she faced several challenges from the get-go, including doubts about how she would handle the role in a political system that remains largely male-dominated.<\/p><p>In October, she also had to deal with the <strong>breakup <\/strong>with the LDP\u2019s junior coalition partner, <strong>Komeito<\/strong>, after <strong>26 years<\/strong>. Having found a new ally in the <strong>Japan Innovation Party (JIP)<\/strong>, the LDP secured the narrowest possible majority in the lower house.<\/p><p>In November, Takaichi\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/who-let-the-wolves-out-japans-position-on-taiwan-infuriated-china\/\">remarks<\/a> hinting at <strong>Japan\u2019s potential involvement<\/strong> should China attempt to forcibly change the status quo in <strong>the Taiwan Strait<\/strong> caused a <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/winning-without-fighting-chinas-trade-pressure-on-japan\/\">rift<\/a> between Tokyo and Beijing that continues to fester. These developments came on top of Japan\u2019s long-standing domestic problems, such as <strong>high inflation<\/strong> and <strong>extremely low birth rates<\/strong>.<\/p><p>Despite these challenges, Takaichi\u2019s cabinet has performed relatively well so far, with <strong>approval ratings <\/strong>consistently around or above <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20260126_10\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>60 percent<\/strong><\/a>. By comparison, the ratings of her predecessor Ishiba fell to around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2025\/05\/22\/japan\/politics\/japan-pm-ishiba-support-rate-record-low\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">20%<\/a>, while <strong>Fumio Kishida<\/strong> before him dropped to as low as <a href=\"https:\/\/mainichi.jp\/english\/articles\/20240219\/p2a\/00m\/0na\/009000c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">14 percent<\/a>. These low ratings were partly the result of the LDP\u2019s <strong>2023\u20132024 slush fund <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/falling-stars-in-the-land-of-the-rising-sun\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>scandal<\/strong><\/a>, which occurred under Kishida\u2019s leadership and contributed to the LDP <strong>losing its majority in both chambers<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/japans-prime-minister-ishiba-a-year-in-the-life-and-what-comes-next\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">under Ishiba<\/a> in the subsequent elections, before Takaichi regained a slim majority in the lower house with the support of JIP. Given her strong approval ratings, early 2026 appeared to be the right moment to call a snap election and attempt to strengthen her coalition\u2019s position. Takaichi justified her decision by <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20260119_21\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stating<\/a> that she was seeking a stronger mandate to implement necessary reforms.<\/p><p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20260126_10\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">public opinion poll<\/a> conducted by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, the most important policy issue for voters was <strong>rising prices<\/strong> (41% of respondents), followed by <strong>declining birth rates<\/strong> (18%) and <strong>diplomacy and security<\/strong> (17%).<\/p><p>One of the reasons the LDP has <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/with-liberal-democrats-happily-ever-after\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dominated<\/a> the Japanese political scene for most of the postwar period has been because of a consistently <strong>fragmented opposition<\/strong>. The LDP\u2019s former partner Komeito and the largest opposition party, <strong>the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan<\/strong> (CDPJ), sought to change this by forming the <strong>Centrist Reform Alliance<\/strong> (CRA) in January.<\/p><p>Interestingly, when the NHK poll asked respondents about their <strong>preferred balance of power<\/strong>, the <strong>largest share (32%)<\/strong> said they wanted the ruling and opposition camps to win <strong>roughly equal numbers of seats<\/strong>, essentially maintaining the status quo before the election. Meanwhile, <strong>24% favored<\/strong> an <strong>LDP single-party majority<\/strong>, <strong>22% <\/strong>preferred a <strong>majority for the ruling coalition<\/strong>, and only <strong>11% <\/strong>hoped for <strong>an opposition majority<\/strong>.<\/p><h2>\u00a0<\/h2><h2>Why does it matter?<\/h2><p>Japan is a key actor in the Indo-Pacific region as well as on the global stage. It is the <strong>only Asian member of the G7<\/strong>, hosts a <strong>significant U.S. military presence<\/strong>, and is deeply involved in <strong>U.S.-led trilateral partnerships<\/strong> with like-minded countries such as <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/the-three-musketeers-of-the-indo-pacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">South Korea<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/law-order-south-china-sea-unit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Philippines<\/a>. Japan\u2019s territory forms a crucial part of the strategically important <strong>first island chain<\/strong>, and in the event of a <strong>Taiwan contingency<\/strong>, it would be the <strong>nearest country capable of intervening<\/strong>, even if only by providing refuge to people fleeing Taiwan.<\/p><p>Following Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Japan has also become the <strong>largest Asian provider of aid<\/strong> <strong>to Kyiv <\/strong>and one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1303432\/total-bilateral-aid-to-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">top five donors worldwide<\/a>. In addition, Tokyo has significantly <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/japans-eurotrip-unprecedented-deepening-of-defense-cooperation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">expanded<\/a> its <strong>defense cooperation with European partners<\/strong>. For these reasons, questions about who runs Japan and the stability of its government are vital to global security.<\/p><p><em>Post-election edit: The LDP <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/nhkworld\/en\/news\/20260209_22\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>achieved<\/em><\/a><em> a historic win in the February 8 election, gaining a two-thirds majority in the Lower House.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo: Unsplash Foto: Unsplash What is happening? Elections have become something of a national pastime in Japan of late. In 2024, the country held a general election, a nationwide vote for the House of Representatives \u2014 the National Diet\u2019s lower house. Last year, the nationwide election for half of the seats in the House of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":42313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[500],"tags":[506],"class_list":["post-42311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-david-toman"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Another Year, Another Elections \u2013 The Current State of Japanese Politics - European Values Center for Security Policy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/another-year-another-elections-the-current-state-of-japanese-politics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Another Year, Another Elections \u2013 The Current State of Japanese Politics - European Values Center for Security Policy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Photo: Unsplash Foto: Unsplash What is happening? Elections have become something of a national pastime in Japan of late. In 2024, the country held a general election, a nationwide vote for the House of Representatives \u2014 the National Diet\u2019s lower house. 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