EPA
Japanese voters head to the polls today for early elections, after a tumultuous few years for the ruling party which has seen a “cascade” of scandals, widespread voter apathy and record approval ratings.
The election was announced by Shigeru Ishiba three days after he was chosen as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), before he was officially sworn in as prime minister.
The decision was made despite the PLD's popularity rating falling below 20% earlier in the year, following a corruption scandal linked to political fundraising.
However, the PLD remains the main competitor against opposition parties who have failed to unite or convince voters that they are a viable option for governing.
The main opposition party had a popularity rating of just 6.6% before Parliament was dissolved.
“It's so difficult to make decisions about party choice, I think people are losing interest,” Miyuki Fujisaki, a longtime LDP supporter who works in the nursing home sector, told the BBC before the opening of polling stations.
The PLD, she said, has problems with allegations of corruption, “but the opposition doesn't stand out either.”
“They complain a lot, of course, but it’s not at all clear what they want to do,” the 66-year-old said.
Miyuki Fujisaki says she can't decide who to vote for
Despite all this apathy, Japanese politics have evolved at a rapid pace in recent months.
Shigeru Ishiba took over as prime minister after being elected by the ruling party after his predecessor Fumio Kishida – who had held the post since 2021 – made the surprise decision to resign in August.
The decision to call elections comes at a time when the PLD is desperate to repair its tarnished public image. Ishiba – a longtime politician who served as defense minister – described it as the “people’s verdict”.
But it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to restore confidence in the PLD, in power almost continuously since 1955.
A series of scandals has tarnished the reputation of the ruling party. Chief among them is the party's relationship with the controversial Unification Church – described by critics as a “cult” – and the level of influence it has had over lawmakers.
Then came the revelations of the political financing corruption scandal. Japanese prosecutors have been investigating dozens of LDP lawmakers accused of pocketing profits from political fundraising events. These allegations – running into the millions of dollars – have led to the dissolution of powerful factions, the backbone of the party's internal politics.
“What a miserable state the ruling party is in,” said Michiko Hamada, who had gone to Urawa Station, a Tokyo suburb, for an opposition campaign rally.
“That’s what I feel the most. This is tax evasion and it is unforgivable.
This seems particularly obvious to him at a time when the Japanese are struggling with high prices. Wages have not changed in three decades – nicknamed “the lost 30 years” – but prices have risen at the fastest rate in almost half a century over the past two years.
This month, as voters prepared to go to the polls, new price hikes were recorded on thousands of food items as well as other everyday products like mail, pharmaceuticals, electricity and gas.
“I pay 10,000 yen or 20,000 yen ($65 to $130; £50 to £100) more per month for food (than before),” Ms. Hamada said.
“And I don’t buy the things I used to buy anymore. I'm trying to save money but it still costs more. Things like fruit are very expensive.
She's not the only one worried about high prices. Retiree Chie Shimizu says she now has to work part-time to make ends meet.
“Our hourly wage has increased a bit but it doesn't match the prices,” she told the BBC as she collected food from a stall at Urawa station. “I come to places like this to find something good and cheaper, because everything in regular stores is expensive.”
Ms. Shimizu hasn't voted in years, but she might do so this time, although she isn't sure which candidate or party to vote for.
“I can’t find anyone I want to vote for. I feel like I can't trust anyone to be our leader. I wonder about those who become MPs for their own greed.
In this context, one might think that Ishiba took a political gamble. His party held 247 of the 465 seats in the lower house, while its coalition partner, Komeito, held 32. A party needs 233 seats to control the chamber, known as the Diet.
There are now fears that Komeito will fail to reach that figure again, while the main opposition – which had 98 seats in the previous parliament – has started to gain momentum with voters ahead of Sunday's elections.
“I think the PLD has dug itself a very deep hole from which it can dig itself out. He does not enjoy public trust, and why should he? There was a cascade of scandals,” Jeff Kingston, professor of Asian studies and history at Temple University of Japan, told the BBC.
But he doesn't think any of this will necessarily result in the party losing the election.
“I think they (the LDP) are worried about losing some marginal seats, and there are questions about Komeito and how effective they will be as a coalition partner,” Professor Kingston said.
If they win, Miyuki Fujisaki, a nursing home worker, warns they will have to do more than just talk to change.
“I want them to show us what they are going to do so that these scandals do not happen again,” she said. “They have to prove it, not just say it like they often do during elections.”
Reuters
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