Is There a Crisis of Japanese Democracy?

Aurelia George Mulgan, East Asia Forum
Author: Aurelia George Mulgan, UNSW Japan's Upper House elections have traditionally offered an opportunity for a protest vote against incumbent governments, but there is little chance of such a vote unseating the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito coalition on 21 July 2019. A record of voter apathy and low voter turnout at national elections since the LDP returned to power in December 2012 suggests that Japanese voters have lost faith in the opposition parties and in the possibility of a change of government. This is despite polls showing that most Japanese voters are uncomfortable...