Bridge over troubled waters

The Liberal Democratic Party won 294 of the 480 seats in the Japanese parliamentary election on Dec 16. Together with its coalition partner, the Komeito (Clean Government Party), that won 31 seats, it now controls more than two-thirds of the seats, enough to amend Japan's constitution.

The LDP won a landslide victory not because Japanese voters supported it wholeheartedly but because they were disappointed with the Democratic Party of Japan, which realized a much-needed political transition in September 2009 but failed to turn its election promises into reality.

The DPJ was not only unable to fully implement its promises such as child allowance, free highways and tax exemptions, but also increased the consumption tax. In other words, the LDP won the election because the DPJ betrayed the public. Of the 180 seats for proportional representatives, the LDP won only 57 this time, similar to the number it won in the 2009 election. Thus, the LDP's resounding victory can be attributed to the small electoral system and its relative popularity vis-a-vis the DPJ.