Reference News Network, July 23 report: The Spanish website "El Mundo" published an article titled "Japan's Election Marks the End of an Era: 'Perfect Stability' Party is Wobbling" on July 21. The author is Alicia Aramillones. The article excerpts as follows:

Japanese politics was once known for its constant stability, and the core that maintained this stability was always the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This conservative party has almost continuously dominated the Japanese political scene since its founding in 1955 (with only brief interruptions between 1993-1994 and 2009-2012).

But this ruling position has now ended. The results of the House of Councillors election held on the 20th showed that the LDP has become a minority party in both chambers of the Diet for the first time in over a decade. Japanese Prime Minister and LDP leader Shigeru Ishiba accepted the results but refused to resign.

Party turmoil was not unexpected: facing such results, the ruling LDP is experiencing its most fragile moment in history.

Trends indicate that Japan is at a turning point akin to tectonic shifts: the era of absolute one-party rule will not return, but what replaces it is not a change of power by liberal opposition parties, but rather a surge of fragmented new minor parties, populism, and radical forces into the political arena.

Japan is entering the most turbulent political period in its modern history. This trend had already become apparent last year, when the LDP lost control of the House of Representatives due to a political donation scandal.

On the surface, the LDP's long-term rule made Japanese politics appear more stable than other developed countries, where many developed nations are generally plagued by populist or extreme party struggles. However, the cost was voter apathy (due to lack of substantive competition, voter turnout has continued to decline over the past decade), and also limited the actual influence of the party's politicians.

The election results of the 20th revealed an expanding generational rift, which is changing Japan's political perception. The "punitive voting" against the LDP did not flow to traditional opposition parties, but instead dispersed to emerging small parties that attract young voters, many of which, such as the Party of the People, have clear populist and radical characteristics.

Analyst Ryoichiro Nishimura from the Asia Group think tank said that in this context, the Party of the People became an outlet for public frustration with government policies. "(The opposition party's) success proves that voters are tired of the establishment political status quo." (Translated by Han Chao)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7530171323796963874/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion below using the [up/down] buttons.