politics

Voter support for Noda at lowest level since he took office

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Despite it being admirable that Noda is sticking to his guns and not kow-towing to opposition demands to immediately hold an election, the delay is hurting him and the DPJ and lowering their chances of winning (not that they HAVE a chance!). Anyway, a Japanese people with a massive drop in approval ratings after a year or so -- wonders never cease!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Interesting. He has very high ratings in the US government (few in America know who Noda is and the majority don't care) because of his pro-US stance. Perhaps there is some subconscious correlation in these results.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

No surprises here. Though we are still to see some positive results, history shows that the measures which do have positive results in the long term are usually most unpopular at the time of their adoption. And so are the politician who propose and pass them.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

JT has written at least one article a week over the past month or so depicting a new low.We KNOW.

LOL. But the ratings keep setting new lows.

But I find it fascinating that a PM with such low ratings could push any legislation knowing that he has not even a marginal mandate to do so. Time to call and election.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The DPJ really could disappear after the next election. The key problem is that if you support Noda's policies, you are probably an LDP supporter. And if you voted for the DPJ when you put them into power based on their manifesto, you are now either going to vote for Ozawa's party, or the Social Democrats, or more likely, the vast majority of such voters will simply not bother going to the polls.

That and a yakuza linked Justice Minister didn't help him much either.

The US hates the DPJ because of Hatoyama and their desire, shared by that of the entire left in Japan, to renegotiate the terms of the security treaty with the US. The LDP was created by and remains owned by the US, and they don't make trouble over things like rapes, or dodgy aircraft, or noisy bases, and so on.

Noda's done an admirable job of gettting legislation through, but only because he is no longer implementing the DPJ's policy program - he is pushing the LDP to support him for their own policies. I think it's clear that the DPJ will be destroyed in the next election.

Twice now, the left has proven itself to be spectacularly incompetent at governance in Japan.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

New governemt on the way. statistically long overdue.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@Hikozaemon

Twice now, the left has proven itself to be spectacularly incompetent at governance in Japan.

The left has never really governed for any length of time in Japan post WWII. Can we really say there was spectacular incompetence?

Tetsu Katayama of the Socialist party governed between 1947-48 and enacted some very progressive measures, such as establishing a Ministry of Labour and the Unemployment Compensation Act.

Between 1993-94 for about six months there was a coalition government headed by Japan New Party with some left-leaning parties under former PM Hosokawa (who came out of the Liberal Democratic Party).

Then the Japan Socialist Party governed as puppets in coalition with the LDP under Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama from 1994 to January 1996.

For the past few years there has been the Democratic party of Japan, made up of various factions, such as former conservative or neo-liberal LDP members (for example Ozawa), former members of the centrist Democratic Socialist Party, a liberal leaning faction with people like former PM Kan, and a left-leaning faction, created by former Japan Socialist Party members. We can hardly call this a party of the left. If we look at the leaders of the DPJ, there was Hatoyama, a former LDP member, Kan, a liberal, and now Noda, a fiscal conservative.

The DPJ governance the past few year has been awful, but no more so than the LDP governance that proceeded it.

Now we really need a proper left leaning party with a green agenda to emerge, as in Germany, to challenge the Nationalists such as Ishihara and Hashimoto, the Neo-liberal LDP, and the Centrist DPJ. Also, the power of the bureaucrats must be broken, or they will resist any kind of outside the box changes that are required for the first capitalist nation that will face a drastically shrinking population--which makes GDP growth impossible.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Noda is a typical Japanese politician... just doing what he's told.

Twice now, the left has proven itself to be spectacularly incompetent at governance in Japan.

There's hardly any real left in Japan, Noda is very center-right.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

After all the lies that this guy said, I'm surprised that he still have 17.7 support of voters . There are still 17.7 % of stupid voters in this country.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

And the public has what other options? Oh right, the other party that got Japan into the mess its in. Smart folks, smart. yes, bring THEM back. They'll sort it out. Idiots.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Warispeace - Murayama was a failure, Hata was a failure, Hosokawa was a failure.

I'm not saying the LDP is better. It's just confirming that there aren't better options, as much as I wish there were.

Thomas Anderson - Noda is to the right of most even in the LDP. But his party is a leftist party - at least it is made up of ex SDP and centrist LDP elements. Noda certainly isn't leftist, but the DPJ under him, and Kan and Hatoyama overall as a hope for a less right wing alternative to the LDP has proven to be an abject failure.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"Your Party" anyone?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Why do people vote for someone then change their mind. Maybe they should be patient and give them time to change things...Good things take time?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This guy has been fighting uphill battles since the day one after he took office. Seems to me that he is cool outside with burning desire to pass this bill. His courage and determination have to be recognized among Japanese voters.

Abe, my tammy hurts guy, does not have this character as a leader of Japan.

I would like to see Noda remains as a leader of Japan for the best interest of Japanese, and I strongly support him from the other side of globe. Gambare, Noda!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Hikozaemon

Warispeace - Murayama was a failure, Hata was a failure, Hosokawa was a failure.

I think your idea of what is left politics needs reconsideration.

The administrations you mentioned were not social justice seeking leftwing administrations by any means. Hosokawa didn't last long enough to be a success or failure and he came out of LDP politics. Hata was from the Japan Renewal Party, (新生党, Shinseitō). It was established in 1993 by 44 members of the Liberal Democratic Party led by Hata and Ozawa. Hata was in office only 2 months, so again impossible to judge. Murayama, of the Socialist Party, infuriated many supporters of his party by steering to the centre to appease his biggest coalition partner, the LDP. I agree that his administration was a failure, especially when he buckled on coming out strong against the Security Pact between Japan and the United States. Apologizing for Japan's atrocities committed during World War II was his most notable act.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Warispeace - you said it for me.

Hata only managed to stay in power for two months. Murayama sold out completely right away - I agree that his administration was a failure

In terms of left politics - Murayama was far left - Kan was probably the furthest left PM ever.

But you are disqualifying Hosokawa because he was originally in the LDP. Well, sure. But if you want leftists in the LDP, check out Nonaka - probably the most powerful and extreme leftist Japan has had since Meiji. A faction leader of the LDP.

I think you're the one making the mistake of presuming that the LDP is ideological.

For what it's worth, no party to the right of the LDP has ever made it into power in Japan - those members of the DPJ and its forbears that originated from the SDP - you are talking about people with roots arguably to the left of the JCP, in that at least the JCP disowned mainland communists, which the SDP didn't (until after they came out about kidnapping Japanese).

Coalition oppositions to the LDP are largely opportunist rather than ideological (Noda representing the extreme of that trend) but they still place themselves to the left and not the right of the LDP. And they have all been abject failures.

Noda is arguably the most successful non-LDP PM of all time. And look, he has basically burned the DPJ manifesto, all its promises and principles, and swapped them for the counsel of the ministry of finance and the LDP policy playbook.

The problem in Japan is simple - it isn't politics, it's the machine. You only get ahead if you sell out to the man. That is the principle the LDP follows above all, and it is what Noda was clever about learning. Policy positions and all the other stuff is just for show. If you ever make out you want to think for yourself with any kind of ideology, the machine takes them out. That is why non-LDP administrations burned so hard.

I think your idea of Japanese politics needs reexamination.

Peace

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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