Divided Government Again
On July 11, the Japanese people went to the polls to elect their representatives to the House of Councillors. The result was a severe setback for Japan’s new ruling party, the Democratic Party of Japan. After breaking the Liberal Democratic Party’s decades-long lock on power in a historic House of Representatives election less than a year earlier, the DPJ won only 44 of the 121 seats up for grabs in the House of Councillors, while the LDP secured 51, more than any other party. As a result, although the DPJ continues to control the powerful House of Representatives and therefore the cabinet, it now lacks an upper house majority even with the help of its coalition partner, the People’s New Party. The people have voiced their dissatisfaction with the government by opting for a “hung” Diet.
The upper house election was a critical test for the DPJ. Although the House of Representatives has greater powers than the House of Councillors under Japan’s Constitution, the lower house’s preeminence is by no means absolute. True, the decision of the House of Representatives takes precedence in the designation of the prime minister, the conclusion of treaties, and approval of the budget. But as a practical matter, the two houses are on more or less an equal footing when it comes to legislation. If the House of Councillors rejects a bill passed by the House of Representatives, the lower house needs a two-thirds majority to override the upper house’s decision and enact the legislation. It is generally difficult for ruling parties to secure a two-thirds majority in the lower house.
In this sense, the upper house election was important to the DPJ-led ruling coalition because an upper house majority would have cleared the way for Prime Minister Kan Naoto’s legislative agenda. But as the first full-scale national election since the historic change of government in September 2009, it is also significant as the nation’s verdict on the DPJ’s first ten months in power.
In the following we will examine the recent election from three angles. First we will interpret the results. Next we will discuss some of the challenges facing Prime Minister Kan in the election’s wake. And finally we will touch on the larger political consequences of the election in the months ahead.
Takenaka Harukata
Graduated from the University of Tokyo, where he majored in law. Joined the Ministry of Finance. Subsequently received his PhD in political science from Stanford University. Is now a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. Author of Sangiin to wa nani ka (What Is the House of Councillors?) and other works.
