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| The government fell in June when the LDP and the JSP joined to form a new coalition. JSP chairman '''Tomiichi Murayama (村山 富市)''' served as prime minister for 2 years. The coalition was highly unpopular among leftist voters, leading to a ruinous loss of seats in the 1995 House of Councillors (参議院) election and the subsequent October 1996 general elections. Murayama resigned in January 1996, handing power back to the LDP under '''Ryutaro Hashimoto (橋本 龍太郎)'''. | The government fell in June when the LDP and the JSP joined to form a new coalition. JSP chairman '''Tomiichi Murayama (村山 富市)''' served as prime minister for 2 years. The coalition was highly unpopular among leftist voters, leading to a ruinous loss of seats in the 1995 House of Councillors election and the subsequent October 1996 general elections. Murayama resigned in January 1996, handing power back to the LDP under '''Ryutaro Hashimoto (橋本 龍太郎)'''. |
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=== Coalition Leadership === Prime Minister Hashimoto led the coalition government going into the 1996 general election. The JSP was dropped from the coalition, to be replaced by . In 1999, [[Japan/Komeito|Komeito]] join the coalition as well. '''Keizo Obuchi (小渕 恵三)''' won the next leadership contest in 1998, but died just 2 years into his term. '''Yoshiro Mori (森 喜朗)''' succeeded him. His government was marred by scandals, innumerable gaffes, and mass unpopularity. While narrowly surviving a leadership coup in November 2000, he was forced to resign in April 2001. Secretary General Hiromu Nonaka (野中 廣務), who was largely responsible for quashing the coup, as well as the coup leaders, Koichi Kato (加藤 紘一) and Taku Yamasaki (山崎 拓), suffered reputational damage from the affair. === Koizumi Era === When the LDP lost power in 1994, a reformist faction called Shinseiki of the LDP formed. They rapidly gained influence during the Mori government. While Kato and Yamasaki gambled (and lost) on a leadership coup in 2000, the movement was well positioned for the April 2001 leadership contest. '''Junichiro Koizumi (小泉 純一郎)''' defeated former prime minister Hashimoto overwhelmingly. His initiatives were more popular among voters than among the LDP majority in the Diet. In 2005, Koizumi began pushing for the privatization and breakup of Japan Post (日本郵政公社). While the threat of calling a snap election successfully whipped the House of Representatives, the House of Councilors saw a rebellion. Koizumi announced that the bill's vote would be recognized as a vote of no confidence. 30 members of the LDP abstained, and the Diet was dissolved in August. ''(See [[Japan/Diet]] for notes on the structure of Japan's legislature.)'' In the September 2005 general election, the LDP won an outright majority; the coalition government held a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. The Japan Post reforms passed in 2007. |
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The Liberal Democratic Party (自由民主党) is the dominant political power of modern Japan.
Contents
Formation
Government
The JSP served as the opposition throughout.
First Loss of Power
1993 General Election
In the August 1993 general election, in the context of the stagflating economy and the Recruit scandal, the LDP lost enough seats for a grand coalition government to form. Morihiro Hosokawa (細川 護煕) led this government for 8 months, following which Tsutomu Hata (羽田 孜) led for 2 months.
Coalition Government
The government fell in June when the LDP and the JSP joined to form a new coalition. JSP chairman Tomiichi Murayama (村山 富市) served as prime minister for 2 years. The coalition was highly unpopular among leftist voters, leading to a ruinous loss of seats in the 1995 House of Councillors election and the subsequent October 1996 general elections. Murayama resigned in January 1996, handing power back to the LDP under Ryutaro Hashimoto (橋本 龍太郎).
After the 1996 general election, the JSP was dropped from the coalition entirely. With the New Frontier Party now serving as the opposition, the JSP entered a decline from which they have never recovered.
First Return to Power
Coalition Leadership
Prime Minister Hashimoto led the coalition government going into the 1996 general election. The JSP was dropped from the coalition, to be replaced by . In 1999, Komeito join the coalition as well.
Keizo Obuchi (小渕 恵三) won the next leadership contest in 1998, but died just 2 years into his term. Yoshiro Mori (森 喜朗) succeeded him. His government was marred by scandals, innumerable gaffes, and mass unpopularity. While narrowly surviving a leadership coup in November 2000, he was forced to resign in April 2001. Secretary General Hiromu Nonaka (野中 廣務), who was largely responsible for quashing the coup, as well as the coup leaders, Koichi Kato (加藤 紘一) and Taku Yamasaki (山崎 拓), suffered reputational damage from the affair.
Koizumi Era
When the LDP lost power in 1994, a reformist faction called Shinseiki of the LDP formed. They rapidly gained influence during the Mori government. While Kato and Yamasaki gambled (and lost) on a leadership coup in 2000, the movement was well positioned for the April 2001 leadership contest. Junichiro Koizumi (小泉 純一郎) defeated former prime minister Hashimoto overwhelmingly. His initiatives were more popular among voters than among the LDP majority in the Diet.
In 2005, Koizumi began pushing for the privatization and breakup of Japan Post (日本郵政公社). While the threat of calling a snap election successfully whipped the House of Representatives, the House of Councilors saw a rebellion. Koizumi announced that the bill's vote would be recognized as a vote of no confidence. 30 members of the LDP abstained, and the Diet was dissolved in August. (See Japan/Diet for notes on the structure of Japan's legislature.)
In the September 2005 general election, the LDP won an outright majority; the coalition government held a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. The Japan Post reforms passed in 2007.
Second Loss of Power