Do you think that the LDP's big loss in the upper house election Sunday will actually change anything in Japan

Question

for those who asked what could possibly be changed to make japan better here is a starter list:

- ministry of education
- recognition of past war crimes
- a real jury system
- lower road tolls
- amakudare
- nuclear plant safety
- collusive business practices
- political and governmental transparency
- hyper-bureaucracy and that legislators would actually legislate vs. lifelong bureaucrats running the show

Answer 1

I don't think you will see jury trials aside from the "experiments" anytime soon. For one thing there's OJ still looking for the real killer, and for another thing-who has time for jury duty in Japan? Besides, the average Japanese person doesn't feel the criminal justice system is anything that really concerns them so it's not a political winner.

As far as legislators asserting control over the civil-servants, Japan would have to have a better bunch of legislators who actually understand policy in the first place for that to happen. Really, the civil-servants win by default.

Transparency is an attainable and worthy goal. It's happening at the prefectural level, so maybe it will happen at national level someday. For nuclear safety to improve, transparency would be an essential first step.

Answer 2

No.

Abe may not last much longer, but I think the vote was more a lack of confidence in the government, in particular pensions and fiddling of expenses, rather than preferences for the DPJ's politics.

The DPJ has been pretty useless up to now, and if all they do with their upper house majority is just say no to everything, people won't impressed, I think.

Answer 3

No.

If scandals are occured, DP'J lose in next time.
Scandals always threat ruling party. (cynically, many of scandals don't involve the party, like a Social insurance Angency)

Answer 4

Nope.
This is similar result with the upper house election in 1989.
PM was Mr. Uno at that moment, and LDP won 36 seats only.
Nothing changed in the past.

Mr.Murayama bacame PM from "Socialist Party " in 1994.
Nothing changed in the past.

This time PM Abe is from LDP, and they won 37 seats.
Nothing would change.

Answer 5

What do you think specifically needs changing? The talk on TV this morning was that the recent troubles with the social security payments here were the greatest concern of voters overall, but no one has any real solution to the problem.

Answer 6

We discussed this with my fellow foreign students
Even if there are some changes, they will be more effective and therefore will affect mostly the government and the high class, while the ordinary people will feel minimal close to no changes at all.