| Democratic Party 民主党 Minshutō |
|
|---|---|
| President | Yoshihiko Noda |
| Secretary-General | Azuma Koshiishi |
| Spokesperson | Yoshiaki Takaki |
| Councilors leader | Azuma Koshiishi |
| Representatives leader | Yoshihiko Noda |
| Founded | 8 January 1998 |
| Merger of | |
| Preceded by | Democratic Party of Japan (1996-1998) |
| Headquarters | 1-11-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-0014, Japan |
| Ideology | Social liberalism Social democracy Third Way |
| Political position | Centre-left[1] |
| International affiliation | Alliance of Democrats[2] |
| Official colors | Red and black (informally) |
| Councillors |
106 / 242
|
| Representatives |
307 / 480
|
| Website | |
| www.dpj.or.jp | |
| Politics of Japan Political parties Elections |
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The Democratic Party of Japan (民主党 Minshutō) is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum.[1] After the 2009 election the DPJ became the ruling party in the House of Representatives, defeating the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party and gaining the largest number of seats in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.
It is not to be confused with the now-defunct Japan Democratic Party that merged with the Liberal Party in 1955 to form the Liberal Democratic Party. It is also different from the Democratic Party, established in 1947 and ended in 1950.
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The Democratic Party call their philosophy Democratic Centrism (ja:民主中道 Minshu Chudo), which was determined in the first party convention on April 27, 1998.[3]
The Democratic Party claim themselves to be revolutionary in that they are against the status quo and the current governing establishment. The Democratic Party argue that the bureaucracy of the Japanese government size is too large, inefficient, and saturated with cronies and that the Japanese state is too conservative and stiff. The Democratic Party wants to "overthrow the ancient régime locked in old thinking and vested interests, solve the problems at hand, and create a new, flexible, affluent society which values people's individuality and vitality."[4]
| “ | We stand for those who have been excluded by the structure of vested interests, those who work hard and pay taxes, and for people who strive for independence despite difficult circumstances. In other words, we represent citizens, taxpayers, and consumers. We do not seek a panacea either in the free market or in the welfare state. Rather, we shall build a new road of the democratic center toward a society in which self-reliant individuals can mutually coexist and the government's role is limited to building the necessary systems.[4] | ” |
Democratic Centrism pursues the following five goals.[4]
The DPJ's policy platforms include the restructuring of civil service, monthly allowance to a family with children (¥26,000 per child), cut in gas tax, income support for farmers, free tuition for public high schools, banning of temporary work in manufacturing,[5] raising the minimum-wage to ¥1,000 and halting of increase in sales tax for the next four years.[6][7]
The DPJ has some political factions or groups, although they are not as factionalized as the LDP, which has traditionally placed high priority on intra-party factional alignment. The groups are, from the most influential to the least influential:
The Independent’s Club is a minor political party which forms a political entity with the DPJ in both chambers of the house.
The Presidents of Democratic Party of Japan (ja:民主党代表 Minshutō Daihyō), the formal name is 民主党常任幹事会代表 (Minshutō Jyōnin-Kanji-Kai Daihyō).
| No. | Name | Term of office | Image | Election results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rōmaji | Kanji | Took Office | Left Office | |||
| 1 | Naoto Kan | 菅 直人 | 27 April 1998 | 18 January 1999 | unchallenged | |
| 18 January 1999 | 25 September 1999 | Naoto Kan - 180 Shigefumi Matsuzawa - 51 Abstention - 8 |
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| 2 | Yukio Hatoyama | 鳩山 由紀夫 | 25 September 1999 | 9 September 2000 | Yukio Hatoyama - 182 Naoto Kan - 130 |
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| 9 September 2000 | 23 September 2002 | walkover | ||||
| 23 September 2002 | 10 December 2002 | Yukio Hatoyama - 254 Naoto Kan - 242 |
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| 3 | Naoto Kan | 菅 直人 | 10 December 2002 | 18 May 2004 | Naoto Kan - 104 Katsuya Okada - 79 |
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| 4 | Katsuya Okada | 岡田 克也 | 18 May 2004 | 13 September 2004 | unchallenged | |
| 13 September 2004 | 17 September 2005 | walkover | ||||
| 5 | Seiji Maehara | 前原 誠司 | 17 September 2005 | 7 April 2006 | Seiji Maehara - 96 Naoto Kan - 94 Abstention - 3 |
|
| 6 | Ichirō Ozawa | 小沢 一郎 | 7 April 2006 | 12 September 2006 | Ichirō Ozawa - 119 Naoto Kan - 73 |
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| 12 September 2006 | 21 September 2008 | walkover | ||||
| 21 September 2008 | 16 May 2009 | walkover | ||||
| 7 | Yukio Hatoyama | 鳩山 由紀夫 | 16 May 2009 | 4 June 2010 | see election 2009 Yukio Hatoyama - 124 Katsuya Okada - 95 |
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| 8 | Naoto Kan | 菅 直人 | 4 June 2010 | 14 September 2010 | see election Jun 2010 Naoto Kan - 291 Shinji Tarutoko - 129 |
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| 14 September 2010 | 29 August 2011 | see election Sep 2010 Naoto Kan - 721 Ichirō Ozawa - 491 |
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| 9 | Yoshihiko Noda | 野田 佳彦 | 29 August 2011 | Incumbent | see election 2011 Yoshihiko Noda - 215 Banri Kaieda - 177 |
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All-time highest values are bolded
| Election | Leader | # of candidates | # of seats won | # of PR Block votes | % of PR Block vote | # of Constituency votes | % of Constituency vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Yukio Hatoyama | 262 | 127 | 15,067,990 | 25.18% | 16,811,732 | 27.61% |
| 2003 | Naoto Kan | 277 | 177 | 22,095,636 | 37.39% | 21,814,154 | 36.66% |
| 2005 | Katsuya Okada | 299 | 113 | 21,036,425 | 31.02% | 24,804,786 | 36.44% |
| 2009 | Yukio Hatoyama | 330 | 308 | 29,844,799 | 42.41% | 33,475,334 | 47.43% |
| Election | Leader | # of seats total | # of seats won | # of PR Block votes | % of PR Block vote | # of Constituency votes | % of Constituency vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Naoto Kan | 47 | 27 | 12,209,685 | 21.75% | 9,063,939 | 16.20% |
| 2001 | Yukio Hatoyama | 59 | 33 | 8,990,524 | 16.42% | 10,066,552 | 18.53% |
| 2004 | Katsuya Okada | 82 | 50 | 21,137,457 | 37.79% | 21,931,984 | 39.09% |
| 2007 | Ichirō Ozawa | 109 | 60 | 23,256,247 | 39.48% | 24,006,817 | 40.45% |
| 2010 | Naoto Kan | 106 | 44 | 18,450,139 | 31.56% | 22,756,000 | 38.97% |
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