Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media Tip Sheets
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media Tip Sheets

New Japan Rising: LDP’s Defeat Signals Shift Toward Inclusion

Monday, October 28, 2024, By Vanessa Marquette
Share
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

Margarita Estévez-Abe, associate professor of political science at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, shared her thoughts below on Japan’s general election results. Her research focuses on Japan, gender, and political economy. If you’d like to schedule an interview with her, please reach out to Vanessa Marquette, media relations specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.

Margarita Estevez-Abe headshot

Margarita Estevez-Abe

She writes: “Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has suffered its worst electoral losses since its defeat in 2009. While much of the news coverage has focused on the LDP’s unpopularity in the face of corruption and the inflation and now will focus on whether Prime Minister Ishiba will be able to hold onto his power, Sunday’s election marks a fundamental change in Japanese society. For much of the postwar period, Japan has been ruled by a small class of male conservative politicians. This ‘Old Japan’ has prevented a ‘New Japan’ from emerging.

The LDP’s defeat brought hopeful news to those who had been wishing for greater political representation of women.  The record number of female candidates were fielded (342) and elected (73) mostly thanks to the progressive opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), which emerged as a formidable opposition force winning 148 seats relative to the LDP’s 191. The CDP has been promoting female candidates in local elections and has been playing a critical role in making more conservative parties like the LDP field more women in response.

The CDP is one of the successor parties of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the only opposition party every to unseat the LDP in a general election since its founding in 1955. The breakup of the DPJ in 2017 had paved the way for the LDP’s electoral dominance. Most Lower House seats are allocated by a winner-takes-all rule, which has benefitted the LDP, the only large party, facing a fragmented opposition

There was, however, a silver lining.  Since the breakup, CDP has shared the support from the organized labor with another successor party to DPJ, the Democratic Party for the People (DPP). CDP has pursued a strategy to cultivate women’s talent becoming much more women-friendly party than its predecessor, DPJ. In this process, it has morphed into a party that resembles European center-left parties—a kind of party that did not exist in Japan before. The CDP has been fielding women in local elections and recruiting competitive female local politicians. It represents the values of a ‘New Japan’ that the long rule by the LDP stifled. In urban Japan, many Japanese voters and politicians are eager to legalize same sex marriage, to let women retain their maiden names after marriage, and to allow Princess Aiko to succeed her father. The local councils in Tokyo reveal the character of this New Japan: women, transgender, and naturalized citizens all serve as elected representatives. The LDP has been like a heavy chain wrapped around the neck of this New Japan not letting it assert itself. The CDP still does not have a majority in the 465-person Lower House, which has the prerogative to elect the next Prime Minister. However, a New Japan finally has a chance to challenge the Old Japan.”

  • Author

Vanessa Marquette

  • Recent
  • Doctoral Candidate Wins Grant for Research on Infrastructure, Violence and Resistance in Pakistan
    Friday, August 1, 2025, By News Staff
  • Co-President of Disability Law Society Eyes Career in National Security Law in Washington
    Thursday, July 31, 2025, By Jordan Bruenger
  • Lender Center New York Event Gathers Wealth Gap Experts
    Wednesday, July 30, 2025, By Diane Stirling
  • After Tragedy, Newhouse Grad Rediscovers Her Voice Through Podcasting
    Wednesday, July 30, 2025, By Chris Velardi
  • Back-to-School Shopping: More Expensive and Less Variety of Back-to-School Items
    Tuesday, July 29, 2025, By Daryl Lovell

More In Media Tip Sheets

Iran Escalation: Experts Available This Week

If you’re covering the latest developments with Iran and their impact on Israel, the U.S., China, Russia, global supply chains, and more, Syracuse University faculty experts are available for interviews this week. Below, you’ll find a list of experts along…

SCOTUS Win for Combat Veterans Backed by Syracuse Law Clinic

On Thursday, June 12, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Soto v. United States, marking a significant victory for U.S. combat veterans seeking disability compensation. The 9-0 opinion, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, held that the…

Japan’s Crackdown on ‘Shiny’ Names Sparks Cultural Reflection

In a move that’s turning heads both in Japan and abroad, the Japanese government is reportedly cracking down on so-called “shiny” names, unconventional names often inspired by pop culture references like “Pikachu” or “Nike” given to newborns. While some see…

5 Tips to Protect Your Health and Prepare for Worsening Air Conditions

The smoke from more than 100 Canadian wildfires is reaching many regions within the U.S., including as far south as Georgia. Air quality is deteriorating in the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast, prompting health advisories in many cities. In Canada,…

Expert Available to Discuss DOD Acceptance of Qatari Jet

If you’re a reporter covering the U.S. Department of Defense’s acceptance of a luxury jet from Qatar, Alex Wagner, adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is available for interviews. Please see his comments below….

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.