List of political parties in Japan

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Japan

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Political parties in Japan lists political parties in Japan.

Japan, while universally recognized as a liberal democracy with free and fair elections, has operated with a dominant-party system for most of its history since World War II, with the dominant party being the Liberal Democratic Party.


Contents

[edit] Major parties

  • Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Jiyū Minshu-tō, or Jimin-tō 自民党(conservative, 1955-)
    • The LDP is Japan's largest political party and the senior partner in the current governing coalition. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is a member of this political party. It is a conservative party and is made up of various conservative and reformist factions. The LDP has been in power almost continuously since 1955, when it was formed as a merger of early postwar Japan's two conservative parties, the Liberal Party of Japan, Occupation, and the Democrat Party of Japan, Occupation. The party is characterized as being very conservative on social and foreign matters.
  • Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Minshutō (social liberal 1998-)民主党
    • The DPJ is Japan's second largest party and leads the opposition. It is a social liberal party. It is the largest opposition party, and was formed in the late 1990s as a result of the merger of several anti-LDP parties. Quite liberal and oppositional on key issues, as well as moderately social-democratic. It is against the Iraq war, and was led by Seiji Maehara until the end of March 2006, when he resigned due to a crisis involving a DPJ member (Hisayasu Nagata) making false allegations that the son of LDP Secretary-General (Tsutomu Takebe) illicitly received money from former Livedoor president Takafumi Horie. Ichirō Ozawa is currently the DPJ party president.
  • New Komeito* Komeitō (conservative, theocratic Buddhist, 1998-)公明党
  • Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Nihon Kyōsan-tō (communist, 1922-)日本共産党
    • The Japanese Communist Party is Japan's fourth largest party and the middle partner of the opposition coalition. It is a moderate communist party of the left-wing. Though it is communist, it is not against religion. It supports multi-party democracy and does not advocate the imposition of radical change on Japanese society. While it now recognises the Emperor as a figurehead head-of-state, it opposes his involvement in official functions and JCP members boycott official functions where he is present. It is considered pacifist and skeptical of the United States.
  • Social Democratic Party (Japan) (SDP) Shakai Minshutō, or Shamin-tō (socialist, 1996-)　社民党

[edit] Minor parties

[edit] Existing national parties represented in the Diet in the past

Current political parties that used to be in the Diet but aren't currently represented:

[edit] Other parties

[edit] Regional parties

Some of the main regional parties represented in regional assemblies:

  • Kanagawa Network Movement Kanagawa Nettowaku Undo (Yokohama, socialist)
  • Seikatsusha Network Seikatsusha Nettowaku (Tokyo, socialist)
  • Okinawa Social Mass Party Okinawa Shakai Taishu To (Okinawa, socialist)
  • Green Niigata, Midori Niigata (Niigata, communist)
    • formerly Niigata New Party for People, Shimin Shin-to Niigata (Niigata, communist)

[edit] Defunct parties

  • Association of Independents Mushozoku no Kai (centrist, 1999-2004)
    • formerly House of Representatives Club Sangiin Kurabu (centrist, 1998-1999)
  • New Conservative Party, (conservative, 2002-2003)
    • formerly Conservative Party of Japan (2000), (conservative, 2000-2002)
  • Liberal Party (1998), (liberal, 1998-2003)
  • Democratic Party of Japan (1996), (liberal, 1996-1998)
  • Good Governance Party, (liberal, 1998)
  • New Fraternity Party, (liberal reformist, 1998)
  • Sun Party, (liberal reformist, 1996-1998)
  • Democratic Reform Party (liberal reformist, 1993-1998)
  • Midori no Kaigi Environmental Green Political Assembly (ecologist conservative reformist, 2002-2004)
  • New Peace Party, (conservative, 1997-1998)
  • Japan New Party, (liberal, 1993-1996)
  • Japan Renewal Party, (liberal, 1993-1994)
  • New Frontier Party, (socialist/liberal, 1994-1997)
  • Democratic Socialist Party (Japan), (social-democratic, 1960-1994 - broke off from JSP)
  • Democratic Party of Japan, Occupation, (agrarian conservative, 1945-1955)
  • Liberal Party of Japan, Occupation, (conservative, 1945-1955)
  • Great Achievement Association, (conservative nationalist, 1889-1909)
    • formerly Conservative Party of Japan (1880)
  • Constitutional Liberal Party (Japan), (liberal, 1882-1931)
  • Constitutional Progressive Party, (moderate liberal, 1882-1934)
  • Liberal Party of Japan (1881), (liberal, 1881)

Japan has other minor parties not represented in Parliament (which have never been represented before), mostly reformist, liberal, nationalist, socialist, and communist parties.

Ways to browse Wikipedia for political parties are by name of the party, country, ideology or by membership of internationals and through the category system: especially by country and ideology.
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