POLITICS-JAPAN: Pessimism Greets New ‘People-oriented’ Party

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Apr 14 1998 (IPS) - Naoto Kan is one of Japan’s most popular politicians, but his recent announcement of a new party that puts people first is turning few heads, even among his most ardent followers.

Kan says four parties are joining forces this month to make up the new Democratic Party, the newest political grouping to emerge as Japan is beset by economic woes, overseas criticism of its slow action to address a looming recession, and a string of corruption scandals.

Kan says the malaise afflicting Japan is so deeply-rooted that no less than an overhaul of its lumbering political system is needed for a quicker response to the needs of a changing world.

Thus, he says the Democratic Party’s platform will put the interests of the ordinary Japanese first, instead of protecting individual interest groups as is common among political parties today.

“The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is not a political party because it has no vision but simply follows policies laid out by bureaucrats,” Kan told reporters last week, referring to the LDP that has ruled Japan for decades.

“Our party will work for the opposite. Bureaucrats will have to follow what people want,” added Kan, an opposition leader popular among many Japanese.

He has been quoted as saying he considers today’s Japan to be in the predicament the United States was just before the Great Depression in 1929.

Japan has been dragged down by a “failed” but powerful bureaucratic system characterised by intrigue, corruption and refusal to adapt to new ways, Kan says. Others have attacked bureaucrats for misleading politicians on Japan’s structural problems.

But while this message is popular, Japan’s disgruntled electorate is so far showing only lukewarm interest in the Democratic Party. Political analysts say this is a sign that voters are getting more pessimistic that any reform will ever take place in the way politics works in this country.

Hiroshi Sasa is one such voter. Wearily, the 50-year-old taxi driver said: “I am interested in the new political party that promises us a break. But let’s wait and see before we expect too much.”

The Japanese public’s wariness toward any promise of change is not unexpected.

After all, the country is sliding into recession and unemployment hit a 45-year high of 3.6 percent in February. Under pressure from overseas, Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto unveiled a plan on Apr. 9 to slash income taxes by 30 billion U.S. dollars, to stimulate the economy.

Of late, the media has been reporting a string of corruption scandals involving politicians and top finance ministry officials who received large bribes from banks and corporations.

Indeed, Hashimoto is now facing a call from Parliament, called the Diet, to take responsibility for corruption in the finance ministry and step down.

The latest opinion poll taken by the NHK, Japan’s public television station, shows that approval ratings for the LDP has taken a nosedive from last year’s 80 percent to 35 percent.

But analysts note that the figure is still considerably higher than indicated support for Kan’s Democratic Party, which hovers between 24 to 28 percent. Many predict that the still-to-be-formed party will not be a major problem for the LDP in the upcoming elections for the Upper House in July.

Kan himself acknowledges that the Democratic Party faces an uphill battle due to growing cynicism toward politics.

But the 51-year-old maverick politician, whose popular appeal soared two years ago when he led a probe into the complicity of health officials in the use of HIV-tainted blood products in hospitals, remains upbeat about his party’s future.

“The short-term looks bad,” Kan told foreign journalists recently. “But maybe in about five years it will be our turn.”

Some political observers share his view. At the very least, says essayist Shiota Ushio, the party’s promise to champion the interests of the ordinary Japanese is bound to stand out in the public consciousness sooner or later.

“The DP (Democratic Party) could well be a major force to reckon with in a few years time,” he said. “Against the current backdrop, the idea of people politics is very attractive.”

Ushio even says the new party may do better than most people expect in the July elections, partly because of Kan’s reputation for standing up against bureaucrats.

Saying voters may well be ready for an alternative to the LDP in a few months, Ushio added: “If Kan can promise the electorate that the new alliance can work out, then people will vote for the new DP.”

But keeping the party intact is likely to be a major task for Kan. The party’s membership will be a volatile mix, ranging from LDP defectors who are used to representing profit-oriented groups to politicians from smaller parties that count on support from trade unions and citizens’ organisations.

But Ushio says Japanese politics can only benefit if the Democratic Party were to succeed.

Aside from seeking more transparency in government dealings, the party says its ‘people-oriented’ stance will be reflected in a foreign policy that will include increased imports from developing Asia to help it recover from its financial crisis.

The Democratic Party will also shy away from constructing dams and buildings, but will work for a Japan that respects nature and building a society easier for people to live in, Kan explains.

“There will be cities where wheelchair access will be a priority,” said Kan. “Children will have their own computers so that they can get their own information rather than be dependent on their teachers. In other words, what the new party envisions is a safe and secure society for the common Japanese who have long been left out in the cold.”

Some observers say Kan’s statements sound like a pipedream, but are watching to see if the new Democratic Party can make the jaded Japanese electorate sit up and notice.