Japan’s 2019 upper house election: Solidifying Abe, the LDP, and return to a one-party dominant political system
| Date | 01 March 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2057891119880267 |
| Published date | 01 March 2020 |
| Author | Purnendra Jain |
| Subject Matter | Research articles |
Research article
Japan’s 2019 upper house
election: Solidifying Abe,
the LDP, and return to a
one-party dominant
political system
Purnendra Jain
University of Adelaide, Australia
Abstract
Japan’s upper house, the House of Councillors, is a less powerful body than the House of Rep-
resentatives, the lower house of the national Diet. Yet, electoral results of the upper house can
have a significant impact on the government of the day, both for legislative purposes and for judging
the credibility of the ruling party and its leader. This article analyses the July 2019 election and its
likely impact on the Abe administration, and implications for Japan’s parliamentary democracy and
party politics. The article argues that opposition forces are highly fragmented and weak, sustaining
the LDP’s dominance in Japanese politics. Such a political landscape is welcomed by the ruling party
and its leader, but continuing to entrench the hold on national governance by one dominant party
is unhealthy for Japanese democracy.
Keywords
Abe administration, House of Councillors 2019, Japan, parliamentary democracy, Reiwa Era
Election, Upper House Election 2019, Year of the Boar 2019
Introduction
Japan’s 25th triennial election to the House of Councillors, the upper house of the Japanese
parliament (national Diet), was held on 21 July 2019. The timing of the election was distinctive.
This was the first national election since transition from the Heisei (1989–2019) to the Reiwa era in
May 2019, when Emperor Akihito abdicated and his son Naruhito ascended the throne. And held in
the Year of the Boar, a 12-year cycle in the Japanese calendar system, it was preceded three months
Corresponding author:
Purnendra Jain, University of Adelaide, Wills Building, 638b, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
Email: purnendra.jain@adelaide.edu.au
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2020, Vol. 5(1) 23–37
ªThe Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/2057891119880267
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