Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is unlikely to be voted out in the lower house election commenced on Sunday as the opposition is still unable to offer any superior policies to address a pressing living crisis, said a Japanese expert.
Candidates for Japan's main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), are urgently searching for votes. The LDP has provided just 12 days for campaigning before the election. They have been in power for 65 of the last 69 years. But commentators believe this is a rare opportunity for the CDP to make a comeback.
In September it made former prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, its leader. He has been vocally criticizing the LDP's economic policies, saying the LDP rules only for corporate interests and working people do not see the benefits.
The LDP's goal is looking to remain in power. It is still receiving blowback from revelations of senior party members kicking back proceeds to junior members off-the-books. It is expecting to lose seats, and the single-party majority it held in the last parliament. Now party leaders are hoping to form a coalition government after Sunday's poll.
Political pundits believe voters are unhappy about the government's performance but are unlikely to vote-out the LDP this time.
"In most other democracies, voters, when they're unhappy about the economy, tend to vote for one of the opposition parties. That is not necessarily the case with Japan. I expect that, yes, some voters will turn away from the LDP due to the cost of living crisis, but it is not the case that any of the opposition parties has a particularly credible or widely recognized policies that are seen as superior to the LDP," said Willy You, professor of political science, Waseda University.
Even if it can't form a government, the CDP is expected to gain 40 or 50 seats in this election.
While that may not be enough to disrupt the government agenda, it could help the opposition present itself as an alternative government-in-waiting.
LDP unlikely to be voted out as opposition unable to offer superior policies: expert
