Liberalism in Japan

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Overview of liberalism in Japan
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Japanese liberalism (自由主義 or リベラリズム)[note 1] formed in the nineteenth century as a reaction against traditional society. In the twentieth century 'liberal' (自由) gradually became a synonym for conservative, and today the main conservative party in the country is named Liberal Democratic Party (自由民主党, Jiyū-Minshutō). The defunct Democratic Party (民主党, Minshutō) was considered in part a centrist-liberal party, as are most parties which derived from it. The liberal character of the Liberal League (自由連合, Jiyū Rengō) is disputed, as it is also considered to be conservative by some. This article is limited to liberal (リベラル) parties with substantial support, proved by having had representation in parliament.

Modern Japanese liberalism

Liberals in Japan are generally considered united by one major factor: their opposition to changing the post-World War II constitution forbidding the creation of a national military.[2]

Before the 1990s, Japanese liberals did not form a prominent individual political party.

Since the 1990s, most conservative liberals have left the LDP. The Japan New Party (JNP) and New Party Sakigake are the parties founded by Japanese conservative-liberals against the LDP's nationalist project, which lead to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)-liberalism tradition. Japan's previous liberal party, the DPJ, was led by moderates of both the right-wing LDP and left-wing JSP.

Currently, the LDP has not been considered a liberal party. In the past, liberals in the LDP became opposition forces after leaving the party, so "liberal" generally became a force against "conservative" in Japanese politics in the 21st century. The current DPJ-liberalism tradition is being continued by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ).[7]

Since Japanese conservatism was influenced by Shinto, Japan's radical liberalism and democratic socialism were more influenced by Christianity.[8]

As the LDP becomes an increasingly solid conservative party, and the socialist movement that led the traditional anti-LDP camp has lost control in Japan's opposition political camp, gradually shifting from the centre-right "liberal" in the European and Australian sense of the past to the centre-left "liberal" in the American sense.[1] Currently, the LDP is the largest conservative party in Japan, and the CDPJ is the largest liberal party in Japan.

Timeline

The sign ⇒ means a reference to another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it isn't necessary that parties labelled themselves "liberal".

From Public Party of Patriots until Constitutional Party

From Constitutional Reform Party to Reform Club

From Association of Friends of the Constitution to Constitutional Democratic Party

Orthodox Constitutional Friends Party

Postwar period

In postwar Japan, liberal (リベラル) tendencies did not stand out much among major political parties for more than 40 years. During the Japanese Empire, liberals, including the Constitutional Democratic Party, were swept away by several political parties. The center-right liberal-conservatives (自由保守主義) became the 'leftist faction' of the right-wing conservative Liberal Democratic Party, and the center-left progressive-liberals (革新自由主義) formed the 'rightist faction' within the left-wing Socialist Party.

From Renewal Party to Liberal Party

New Harbinger Party

Democratic Party of Japan (1998–2016)

CDP and DPP (2017–present)

Liberal leaders

Liberal thinkers

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In Japan, American and European style "liberal" / "liberalism" is often referred to as "リベラル" / "リベラリズム" in katakana.[1] Although the term "自由主義" in kanji is also synonymous with "リベラリズム", "自由主義" is also used by conservatives, including LDP, in a similar sense to anti-communism or economic liberalism.

References

  1. ^ a b "今さら聞けない?! 「保守」「リベラル」ってなんだ？" [Can't you ask about them now ?! What are "conservative" and "liberal"?] (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  2. ^ Brasor, Philip (21 October 2017). "Identifying the 'liberal' in Japanese politics". The Japan Times. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. ^ Arthur Stockwin; Kweku Ampiah, eds. (2017). Rethinking Japan: The Politics of Contested Nationalism. Lexington Books. p. 196. ISBN 9781498537933. ... of the debate is the left/liberal "peace movement" currently led by Japanese academics, including legal scholars, and more recently by students, but which until the end of the Cold War was spearheaded by the Japan Socialist Party.
  4. ^ Tetsuya Kataoka, ed. (1992). Creating Single-party Democracy: Japan's Postwar Political System. Hoover Institution Press. p. 2. ISBN 9780817991111. The constitution was defended by the JSP, the mainstay of kakushin (radical-liberal forces), ...
  5. ^ Tetsuya Kobayashi (1976). Society, Schools, and Progress in Japan. Elsevier Science. p. 68. ISBN 978-1483136226.
  6. ^ Japan Almanac. Mainichi Newspapers. 1975. p. 43. In the House of Representatives, the Liberal-Democratic Party, guided by conservative liberalism, is the No.1 party holding a total of 279 seats or 56.8 per cent of the House quorum of 491.
  7. ^ Spremberg, Felix (25 November 2020). "How Japan's Left is repeating its unfortunate history". International Politics & Society Journal. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  8. ^ American Assembly; Willard Long Thorp, eds. (1964). Japan's School Curriculum for The 2020s: Politics, Policy, and Pedagogy. Prentice-Hall. p. 17. It is no accident that Japanese radical liberalism and democratic socialism were both closely connected in their beginnings with the Christian movement in Japan. The first Japanese Socialist Party was born in an Americansponsored Christian church in Tokyo, and the majority of its members were Christians with intimate American connections.
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