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Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party
The Yomiuri Shimbun
7:00 JST, January 5, 2025
The Liberal Democratic Party will turn 70 in November.
The situation surrounding the party has changed drastically since its 60th anniversary in 2015, when former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had built a solid foundation both inside and outside the party. The LDP is now facing a tough rough road ahead as a minority ruling party.
The party leadership, including Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, its president, want to hurriedly rebuild the party in the milestone year.
Commemorative event considered
To mark the 70th anniversary of its founding, the LDP is considering holding a commemorative event in November.
In his New Year’s Day message, LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama referred to the anniversary, emphasizing that “As the party approaches a major turning point, we will fulfill our responsibilities by being committed to addressing the people’s concerns as a truly national party rooted in communities.”
The LDP was founded on Nov. 15, 1955, through a merger of the conservative forces of the Liberal Party and the Japan Democratic Party. This merger established the so-called “1955 system,” in which the LDP and the Japan Socialist Party were in confrontation as the two major powers.
Meanwhile, inside the party, faction-based politics was built up, with each faction competing with one another while personnel and money was distributed between them.
With the exception of two spells where the LDP was in opposition, for a total of four years and two months, the party has long led the national administration as the ruling party.
Ruling as a minority
The traditions of the LDP underwent a major change last year. Intraparty factions, including the then Abe and Kishida factions, decided to dissolve themselves in the wake of scandals involving violations of the Political Funds Control Law.
As opposition parties intensified criticism against the LDP over “politics and money,” the party suffered a crushing defeat in the House of Representatives election in October. The party was forced into the first ruling minority coalition in 30 years.
In the following extraordinary Diet session, the party was forced to accede to the demands of the opposition parties. These included the total abolition of political activity funds provided by a political party to individual Diet members as part of the revision of the Political Funds Control Law.
The prime minister, who had long been called an “opposition within the party,” has a weak base there, and has been forced to suppress his own ideas and approach.
The party is at a standstill in its efforts to amend the Constitution, which is one of its platforms.
“Why has it [the constitutional amendment] not been realized, despite the fact that 70 years will pass since the party was founded?” Ishiba said during an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun on Dec. 27. “There is still room for improvement regarding the frequency and quality of relevant discussions.”
However, as the result of last year’s lower house election, the number of Diet members who are positive about the constitutional amendment has fallen below 310, the two-thirds of lower house members required for amendments to the Constitution to be initiated by the Diet.
The LDP has also surrendered the post of chairperson of the lower house’s Commission on the Constitution to the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, with the route toward realizing the amendment remaining unclear.
PM hints at double election
Elections for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and the House of Councillors are scheduled for this summer.
Additionally, in a private TV program late last year, Ishiba referred to the possibility of double elections – where the lower house election and the upper house election are held on the same day.
Ishiba is looking to win each election by chalking up a strong showing on the policy front, thus regaining the party’s strength.
In his New Year’s Day message as party president, Ishiba emphasized his intention to maintain a humble attitude toward the opposition parties.
