Democratic Party of Japan | History & Facts | Britannica

Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Japanese Nihon Minshutō, centrist Japanese political party that was founded in 1996 to challenge the long-dominant ... DemocraticPartyofJapan TableofContents DemocraticPartyofJapan IntroductionHistoryPolicyandstructure FastFacts Facts&RelatedContent Media Images More MoreArticlesOnThisTopic Contributors ArticleHistory Home Politics,Law&Government Politics&PoliticalSystems DemocraticPartyofJapan politicalparty,Japan Actions Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. Pleaserefertotheappropriatestylemanualorothersourcesifyouhaveanyquestions. SelectCitationStyle MLA APA ChicagoManualofStyle CopyCitation Share Share Sharetosocialmedia Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Democratic-Party-of-Japan GiveFeedback ExternalWebsites Feedback Corrections?Updates?Omissions?Letusknowifyouhavesuggestionstoimprovethisarticle(requireslogin). 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ExternalWebsites OfficialSiteoftheDemocraticPartyofJapan Alternatetitles:DP,DPJ,DemocraticParty,NihonMinshutō By KennethPletcher SeeAll • EditHistory TableofContents DemocraticPartyofJapan Seeallmedia Date: 1996-present ...(Showmore) RelatedPeople: OzawaIchirō KanNaoto NodaYoshihiko HatoyamaYukio TanakaMakiko ...(Showmore) Seeallrelatedcontent→ DemocraticPartyofJapan(DPJ),JapaneseNihonMinshutō,centristJapanesepoliticalpartythatwasfoundedin1996tochallengethelong-dominantLiberal-DemocraticParty(LDP).TheDPJmadestrongelectoralshowingsfromitsearliestdays,andwithinlittlemorethanayearofitsestablishmentitbecamethecountry’slargestoppositionparty.ItsubsequentlyruledJapanformorethanthreeyears(2009–12)beforebeingreplacedbytheLDP. History TheDPJwasformedinSeptember1996bymembersoftheNewPartyHarbinger(ShintōSakigake);amongtheparty’searlyleadersweremanyestablishedpoliticians,includingformerJapaneseprimeministerHataTsutomu,itsfirstsecretary-general(1998–2000);anotherprimeminister(2009–10),HatoyamaYukio,DPJpresidentfrom1999to2002andagainfrom2009to2010;andKanNaoto,whosucceededHatoyamaasprimeministerin2010andservedaspartypresidentin1998–99,2002–04,and2010–11.ThenascentDPJstoodinthecountry’slegislativeelectionsinOctober1996,winning52seatsintheHouseofRepresentatives(thelowerhouseoftheDiet).Thepartybuiltonthissuccess,winning27seatsintheHouseofCouncillors(theupperhouse)inJuly1998.TheDPJ’sgrowthwasaidedbyitsmergerswithanumberofsmallerpartiesovertheyears,including,inMarch1998,fouralliesinacoalitionknownasMinyuren(anabbreviationderivedfromthenamesofthreeofitsconstituentparties)and,inSeptember2003,theLiberalParty(Jiyūtō),whichhadbeenformedin1998byOzawaIchirōandhadpreviously(1999–2000)beenpartofacoalitiongovernmentwiththeLDP. IntheJune2000electionstotheHouseofRepresentatives,theDPJgained32seats,foratotalof127ofthechamber’s480seats.AfteritsmergerwithOzawa’sLiberalPartyinSeptember2003andsuccessinelectionstwomonthslater,thepartyhadincreasedthatnumberto177seats.UnderOzawa’sdefactoleadershipthepartymadeanotherstrongshowingintheJuly2004HouseofCouncillorselections.However,itsufferedamajorelectoralsetbackinSeptember2005,losingone-thirdofitslower-houseseatsastheLDPachieveditsbiggest-eversingle-electiongain.OzawaIchirōOzawaIchirō,2001.kyouichisato OzawawasformallyelectedpresidentoftheDPJinApril2006,andtheparty’sfortunesbegantoturnaroundaftertheLDP’sKoizumiJunichirosteppeddownasprimeministerthatSeptember.VoterssubsequentlybecameincreasinglydissatisfiedwithKoizumi’ssuccessorsandwiththeLDPingeneral.TheDPJregroupedforthe2007upper-houseelections,increasingtheirtotalseatsto120inthe242-memberbody.Withtheadditionofsupportfromitsalliedparties,theDPJbecamethedominantforceinthatchamber,markingthefirsttimesinceWorldWarIIthatapartyotherthantheLDPcontrolledahouseoftheDiet.TheDPJ’ssuccessanditssubsequentabilityintheupperhousetothwartLDP-proposedlegislationwerecitedasmajorreasonswhyKoizumi’sfirsttwosuccessorsasprimeminister,AbeShinzoandFukudaYasuo,eachlastedlessthanayearinoffice.Ozawa’sresignationfromthepartypresidencyinMay2009wasprecipitatedbyafund-raisingscandalinvolvingoneofhisaides,andHatoyamawaselectedtothepost. GetaBritannicaPremiumsubscriptionandgainaccesstoexclusivecontent. SubscribeNow AsōTarō,Fukuda’ssuccessorasprimeminister,farednobetteratrestoringtheLDP’sfortuneswithJapanesevoters.Inlandmarklower-houseelectionsinAugust2009,DPJcandidateswonanoverwhelmingvictory—308ofthe480seats—essentiallyreversingtheoutcomeofthe2005elections.Thepartysubsequentlyenteredintoarulingcoalitionwithtwosmallerparties,andonSeptember16HatoyamasucceededAsōasprimeminister.HatoyamaYukio,2009.U.S.AirForceMasterSgt.JerryMorrison/U.S.DepartmentofDefense Hatoyama’stenureasprimeministerwaslessthanninemonths.Hisinitialpopularitysoondeclined,andhewasultimatelyundoneafterhereversedhimselfona2009campaignpromisetocloseaU.S.militarybaseonOkinawa,insteadannouncingthatthebasewouldbemovedtoanotherpartoftheisland.Facedwithwidespreadandstrongoppositiontothatdecision,HatoyamasteppeddownasprimeministerandpartypresidentonJune4,2010,withKan(whohadbeenservingasfinanceministersinceJanuary2010)succeedinghiminbothoffices. Kan’stermofofficelastedonlyaboutahalfyearlongerthanthatofHatoyama.HewasreelectedpartypresidentinSeptember2010,overcomingastrongchallengebyOzawa.However,Kancameunderincreasingcriticismforhisadministration’shandlingofthereliefandrecoveryeffortfollowingthemassiveearthquakeandtsunamithathitnorthernHonshuinMarch2011,particularlyasamajornuclearaccidentunfoldedinFukushimaprefecture.Althoughhesurvivedano-confidencevoteinthelowerhouseinJune2011,KanresignedfromthepartypresidencyandtheofficeofprimeministeronAugust26.Hewassucceededinbothcapacities—onAugust29and30,respectively—byNodaYoshihiko,whohadservedasfinanceministerinKan’scabinet.NodaYoshihiko.MarcoCastro/UNPhoto NodafacedthedualtaskofworkingwithadividedDiet(theDPJhadonlyaslimpluralityintheupperhouse,andlegislationcouldbeblockedtherebytheLDPanditsallies)andchallengestohisleadershipoftheDPJbyOzawa—allthewhileattemptingtomanagethepost-tsunamicrisisinthecountry.Hewasabletopasssupplementalspendingbillsaimedataddressingthecleanupandrebuildinginstrickenareas,thoughtherewerecomplaintsabouthowthatmoneywasspent.However,hisefforttoincreasetherateonthenationalconsumption(sales)taxinmid-2012,althoughsuccessful,completelyalienatedOzawa,whoresignedfromtheDPJand,withothermembersofhisfaction,formedanewpoliticalparty.NodanonethelesswonreelectionaspartypresidentinSeptember2012. PressureinthelowerhousefromtheoppositionLDP,however,forcedhiminmid-Novembertodissolvethatbodyandcallforparliamentaryelections.TheLDPcandidateswonoverwhelminglyintheDecember16polling;theDPJ—itsnumbersalreadydownafterthedepartureofOzawa’sfactionandotherdisgruntledmembers—wasreducedtoonly57seats.Nodapromptlyannouncedhisresignationaspartypresident,andKaiedaBanriwaschosentoreplacehiminthepost.NodaformallyresignedasprimeministeronDecember26andwassucceededbytheLDP’sAbeShinzo,whohadservedinthatpostin2006–07. Kaieda,thenewpartypresident,wasfirstelectedtothelowerhousein1993andwasamongthosewhoformedtheDPJin1996.Heservedbrieflyastrademinister(2011)inKan’scabinet.HismostimmediatetaskwaspreparingtheDPJfortheJuly2013upper-houseelections.Thepartyhadlostitsmajorityinthatchamberduringthe2010electionsbutmaintainedapluralityofseatsovertheLDP.TheDPJfaredpoorlyduringtheJuly21polling,however,anditsoverallseattotaldroppedto59,whiletheLDPmadesubstantialgains.ThepartywascaughtoffguardbyAbe’sNovember2014earlydissolutionofthelowerhouseandhiscallforsnapelections,whichwereheldonDecember14.Thepartyfieldedcandidatesinfewerthanhalfofthecontestedconstituencies,butitincreaseditstotalto73seats.Kaieda,however,wasdefeatedinhisbidforreelectionandannouncedhisresignationaspartypresident. KaiedawassucceededbyOkadaKatsuyainJanuary2015,butOkadaprovedunabletocapitalizeonasluggisheconomythathadfailedtorespondtoAbe’s“Abenomics”fiscalpolicy.InMarch2016theDPJmergedwiththecentre-rightJapanInnovationPartyandrebrandeditselfastheDemocraticParty(DP).InSeptemberofthatyear,thepartyelectedRenhoMurataasitsfirstfemaleleader.Renhofaredlittlebetterthanherpredecessors,andshesteppeddowninJuly2017aftertheDPpostedanabysmalperformanceinlocalelectionsinTokyo.BythatpointtheDPhadlargelycededitsroleasmainoppositionpartytoanewgroupcoalescingaroundpopularTokyogovernorandformerLDPmemberKoikeYuriko.ThestrugglingpartythenelecteditsnewleaderMaeharaSeiji,aDPveteranwhohadservedasforeignministerinKan’scabinetbeforeresigningoveranillegal-paymentsscandal. OnSeptember28,2017,Abecalledforasnapparliamentaryelectiontobeheldthefollowingmonth,andKoikelaunchedthecentre-rightPartyofHope(KibōnoTō).Seeingnoclearpathtoareturntopoliticalrelevance,MaeharaproposedtoeffectivelydisbandtheDP,aplanthatmetunanimousapprovalfromDPlawmakers.AllDPcandidatesintheOctoberparliamentaryelectionwereinstructedtoabandontheirpartyaffiliationandapplyformembershipwiththePartyofHope. NewfromBritannica From1900to1920,tug-of-warwasanofficialeventattheSummerOlympics. SeeAllGoodFacts Policyandstructure Thepartyplatformemphasizedstreamlininganddecentralizinggovernment.Amongitsgoalswerethedevolutionofpowerawayfrombureaucraciesandvestedinterestsandtowardcitizensandlocalgovernments;areductionofeconomicregulations;andanincreaseingovernmentaltransparencyandfreedomofinformation.TheDPJsoughttoallowfree-marketprinciplestodominatetheeconomywhileprovidingsecurityandequalopportunityforindividuals.LorraineMurray KennethPletcher