Party Politics

...the Right wing insisted on approving the Treaty, the Left wing was opposed...

...Suehiro Nishio and his group advocated the first position...

...To some extent the newspapers are responsible for this state of affairs...

...capitalism, but Communism vs...

...Yet, the conflicts and antagonisms between the Government and the opposition parties are often so intense that they result in disorders in the Diet...

...In October, the two Socialist parties united, forming the Japanese Socialist party (JSP...

...the Left-wingers, influenced by Professor Itsuro Sakisaka, held fast to the second...

...ministers simply read the notes prepared by bureaucrats in answering questions...

...The present Socialist party was established just after World War II, in November 1945...

...Bills influencing the interests of pressure groups also throw the floor into disorder...

...At that time, the LDP had about two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives and the JSP about the remaining third...

...This obviously excites the public in favor of the opposition and encourages conflict with the Government...

...Kishi had a hard time controlling the more than half a dozen factions within the party and coalitions and compromises were necessary to form a cabinet...

...Nor is the Socialist party free of responsibility in inviting such criticism...

...Finally, what is needed is a kind of rationality in Japanese politics which would reject both money and violence as instruments in the struggle for power...

...Sakisaka, leader of Ro-no-ha Marxism, was dissatisfied with the platform...

...Questions regarding the interests of the electorate, or adjustments in the budget, do not often bring on such conflicts...

...Only a few bills originate with the Representatives...

...Nishio and his associates reacted by threatening to walk out of the convention, which was then adjourned for a "cooling-off period" of a month...

...Now, however, the Nishio group has established a new party dedicated to democratic socialism and parliamentary government, a move which has been welcomed as the beginning of a healthy and responsible opposition, and despite its setback in the recent elections, a true two-party system may yet evolve...

...On balance, however, the new platform was Rightist in content and designed to appeal to the voters at large...

...This declared that the task of the Socialist party was to bring about a Socialist revolution by means of class struggle...

...Communism is good but the JCP is not"—the old slogan of the Ro-no-ha Marxists—came to be the actual position of Sohyo...

...Later, Takano sarcastically remarked: "The chicken grew up and became a duck instead of a docile hen...

...Occupation...

...Extra-parliamentary mass movements are mobilized and scuffles in the Diet are invited...

...Asanuma planned "to achieve Socialism through democracy...

...The Left Socialists enjoyed the full support of this "duck," and were able to increase their influence within the Socialist party...

...Sohyo soon moved to the Left, despite the pious hopes of the Occupation...

...Following the Socialist example, in November the two conservative parties also merged to become the Liberal Democratic party (LDP...

...Both will have to make a genuine and intensive attempt to popularize their policies and programs among the Japanese people...

...Hayato Ikeda replaced Kono in the Cabinet, which was now controlled by the three bureaucratic factions of Kishi, Sato and Ikeda...

...If the major Japanese parties will only learn from some of their past experiences, the future of Japanese democracy and security will be brighter than it has been heretofore...

...Let us now turn to the conservative party...

...These, in turn, form factions which struggle for leadership of the party, a contest which reaches its climax when the party chairman is elected...

...Nor was there much prospect of change in the situation when the Government began to revise the "unequal" treaty into a more equitable document...

...They are not approached in businesslike fashions but are thrashed out on a philosophical plane...

...In the wake of the May-June disorders, a strange theory of a "peoples’ majority" was newly advanced by some so-called "progressive" professors...

...As an example, compilation of the budget is wholely in the hands of bureaucrats, and while decentralization of power was promoted and local autonomy was encouraged after the war, financial centralization has been on the increase...

...They do not reject parliamentary politics, though they see it not as an end in itself but only a means of bringing about revolution...

...Thus, in the eyes of the nation the JSP increasingly appeared to concentrate its energy on extra-parliamentary mass actions rather than on parliamentary politics...

...The role of bureaucrats in Japanese politics has been very important...

...They spend so much on political campaigns that their Administration is characterized as plutocratic—and not without reason...

...The Liberal Democrats too often try to win elections by relying on the power of money...

...In a series of lectures and articles he attacked the Rightist position, demanding that the united Socialist party become truly Marxist and stressing the importance of conflict and struggle instead of negotiation and discussion...

...Before adjournment, however, the dominant Leftists managed to pass a milder resolution calling upon the party Control Committee to investigate Nishio’s "breach of party discipline...

...This led many to observe that the two-party system had virtually established itself in Japanaese political life...

...But when ideology or pressure groups enter the picture, conflict suddenly arises...

...Agents of the local governments therefore swarm in the corridors and various offices of the Central Government to ask for financial help, which inevitably results in giving the bureaucrats a big say...

...The local organizations of Japan’s political parties, and their daily work among constituents, must be improved and intensified...

...But unification itself was not enough to bring an end to the conflicts and antagonisms among conservative factions nor, indeed, did these factions even disappear...

...Moreover, to him these "struggles" meant extra-parliamentary actions such as mass demonstrations and meetings to bring pressure to bear upon the Diet...

...When the convention resumed in October, it adopted a Control Committee report which admonished Nishio and found him "guilty" of a "breach of discipline" for writing an article in which he contended that the basic issue of the day was not Socialism vs...

...but the means he advocated involve a whole series of struggles...

...Kono, therefore, walked out of the Cabinet and joined the opposition within the party...

...Thus, questions of foreign and defense policy or security always bring out sharp antagonisms...

...Ro-no-ha, formed toward the end of 1929, was originally a circle of Marxist professors and intellectuals...

...They believed in the theory of Communism, but differed from the JCP in their analysis of the Japanese political and economic situation and, therefore, in regard to the method of revolution...

...Both will have to work to consolidate party membership among the rank-and-file of voters in order to minimize the chances of outside intervention in the political process...

...If we can succeed in this task and develop a big national movement we can eventually reach power...

...The Government party, they insist, approved the extension of the Diet and the ratification of the new Security Pact against the will of the "peoples" majority...

...After the war, local governments had many projects for modernization, reformation and improvement, but they could not afford the necessary funds...

...The Russian Revolution left a deep impression on them, and the appearance of Communist China has added another factor to influence Japanese Socialism...

...Leftist delegates introduced a motion demanding the expulsion of Right-wing leader Nishio for his alleged lack of zeal in fighting against the U.S.-Japanese Security Pact...

...The question of how to conduct party politics in a proper manner has been a major topic of discussion ever since the uproar last May and June...

...Last year, the late Secretary General Asanuma, while visiting Peking, was thoughtless enough to declare that "American imperialism is the common enemy of Japan and Red China...

...Discussion on most bills is relatively routine and the opposing parties usually compromise their differences...

...On January 24, 1960, the Democratic Socialists held their inaugural convention and Japanese Socialists were again split...

...The recently assassinated Inejiro Asanuma, then General Secretary of the party, wrote in a preface to "Decisions at the Regular Convention of J.S.P., 1957" as follows: "It goes without saying that our action policy for the coming year is based on the fundamental principle of the united platform which endeavors to achieve Socialism through democracy...

...This failure led to much criticism and to the birth of an anti-Communist Democratization League inside the CIU...

...In this way, an ambitious bureaucrat can prepare for his debut in political life...

...Soon, however, a conflict developed between Kono and Esaku Sato, leader of the bureaucrats and a younger brother of Kishi...

...They share the same objectives but differ on strategy and tactics...

...it has been known and practiced for decades...

...For this purpose we must energetically promote our organizational work among the masses...

...As we have already seen, the same was true of the united Socialist party, and the reason seems to derive from certain psychological and hierarchical elements deeply rooted in Japanese society...

...At the same time, the JSP is being urged to purge itself of Marxist influences, and it would be unfair to say that the bulk of its members are Marxists...

...Conflict between the Right-wing and Left-wing Socialists continued for four years, while pressure for Socialist unity from labor leaders and others was mounting...

...One demanded that the Socialists abandon Marx and become a "national party" founded on Democratic Socialism, the other insisted on a more clear-cut Marxist stand and a "class party" promoting the class struggle...

...With the end of the war, Ro-no-ha was revived and began to be active in theoretical matters, particularly among the labor unions...

...The Right-wingers held fast to the position of Democratic Socialism as defined by the Frankfurt Manifesto of the Socialist International...

...In the Diet deliberations, bureaucrats help their chiefs substantially...

...Finally, a compromise and unification was achieved in the fall of 1955 and a new united Socialist party platform was adopted, a mixture of Leftist and Rightist opinions...

...They included the Liberal party and Japanese Democratic party on the conservative side, and the Left Socialist party, Right Socialist party, Workers and Peasants party (WPP) and Japanese Communist party (JCP) on the Left...

...It will also be necessary for Japanese to gain a better understanding of the principle of majority decision, which the opposition parties now often ignore...

...In this sense, the Japanese Left Socialists favor peaceful revolution rather than orthodox Communist demands for violent revolution...

...Some even go so far as to despise and ignore parliamentary politics altogether...

...They rely on bureaucrats not only for statistical materials and research hut also in matters of policy...

...Party politics is not new in Japan...

...These bureaucrats generally join the Liberal Democratic party and are usually successful candidates...

...German and Austrian Social Democrats in particular were heavily influenced by Marxism, and Japanese Socialists were similarly swayed...

...Unionists were to be mobilized for political strikes and demonstrations rather than for other purposes...

...We must combine all these struggles into one struggle for revision of the unequal Security Pact and connect this struggle with the struggle for the people’s welfare...

...Thus, it is not too much to say that the bureaucrats dominate the conservative party and the Government...

...If the present situation is to improve, the conservatives will have to place less reliance on their financial resources and the Socialists less stock in the support they have hitherto derived from Sohyo...

...struggle, in fact, from beginning to end...

...In addition, almost every year Japan is hit by typhoons which invariably result in huge and costly damages...

...Not only the members of the Socialist party but also Sohyo unionists were to be mobilized for these actions...

...Conflict between the Right and Left developed as time passed and came to a head in 1951, when the San Francisco Peace Conference was held...

...Ro-no-ha played an important role in this development...

...But the role of the bureaucrats in party politics has also increased...

...Ishibashi won by a small margin, but was soon forced to give way to Kishi because of illness...

...In the course of expanding their influence, the Left-wing Socialists adopted a new Marxist platform based on the theories of Ro-no-ha...

...With initiative in the hands of the Left-wingers, the Socialist party was always led violently to oppose the conservatives rather than to engage in serious parliamentary work...

...To them, parliamentary politics is one means, and extra-parliamentary mass action another important means, to bring about Socialist revolution...

...The revolution was to be achieved once the Socialist party commanded an absolute majority in the Diet...

...Scandals involving politicians are frequent and the majority which they hold often appears unworthy of the name...

...The Left-wingers, on the other hand, remained under the influence of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Group (Ro-no-ha), and moved further and further to the Left...

...Meantime, the bulk of the Left-wing Socialist members in the Diet continued to be Sohyo-educated trade unionists and followers of Ro-no-ha, and most of the leaders and secretaries of Sohyo itself also remained followers of Sakisaka...

...They published a monthly organ called Ro-No, which gave them their name...

...Initially, the Kishi Cabinet was composed mostly of former bureaucrats in coalition with influential factional leaders like Aiichiro Fujiyama and Ichiro Kono...

...The people’s real will is represented by demonstrators and strikers around the Diet building...

...Until now this has not been possible because some conservative leaders believe that the JSP is a fellow traveling party, even an agent of Peking and Moscow, and subservient to Sohyo...

...Of course, the Government is run by the party in power and the role of parties in Japan has increased notably since the end of the U.S...

...Takano was an influential leader and a clever exponent of this brand of Marxism...

...This resulted in a sharp clash between Leftists and Rightists at the party’s annual convention in mid-September...

...What the Occupation authorities and many other people failed to realize was that this anti-Communism was directed against the Japanese Communist party, not against Communism as such...

...As a result, parliamentary politics is losing prestige in the eyes of the nation, and particularly in the eyes of the younger generation, which tends to become increasingly indifferent to politics...

...They were eventually suppressed by the Government and disappeared from the scene...

...For some time to come the Government party will be sure to have two-thirds of the seats in the Diet, and thus stay in power, as steady economic growth is expected to continue...

...In a way, party politics exists formally, but in actuality bureaucratic politics prevails...

...a veteran politician, promoted the idea strongly and in November 1955 persuaded the leaders of the various factions to unite...

...Moreover, the Japanese press is traditionally inclined to oppose the party in power, and to be lenient toward the shortcomings of the opposition...

...In 1950, the League and the Left wing of GFL, led by Minoru Takano, formed a new national federation called the General Council of Japanese Trade Unions (Sohyo...

...Only a few dissatisfied bureaucrats go over to the opposition parties, as for example, Eki Sone, the Secretary General of the Democratic Socialist party...

...At the same time, in view of our international position we must struggle for peace and independence, and carry on the struggle for defense of the Constitution, the struggle against military bases, the struggle for the return of Okinawa to Japan, the struggle for restoration of normal relations with Communist China and the struggle against nuclear bombs...

...The JCP and WPP were both very minor parties, and the WPP soon was absorbed by the JSP...

...Hence, they paid little attention to traditional trade unionism wih its emphasis on the workers’ economic demands...

...Even so, several factions outside the main-current group represented in the Cabinet sought to assume the party leadership...

...They can no longer be content with nominal party allegiance by the few and apathy on the part of the many, which can be dispelled solely in moments of extraordinary passion through violence and hysteria...

...Too often it is simply determined to block such bills through the use of vituperation, vehement language and violence...

...This kind of thinking, it must be said, does not augur well for the future of Japanese democracy...

...In view of this, responsible commentators are asking the ruling Liberal Democratic party to give up its high-handed attitude toward the opposition, and to stop inviting charges of "dictatorship by the "majority" or "arrogant majority rule," and to come to terms with the opposition...

...These were divided between two national federations, the General Federation of Labor (GFL), under the influence of the Socialist party, and the Congress of Industrial Unions (CIU), dominated by the Communists...

...The extent to which the JSP position had deteriorated was demonstrated by the Socialist defeat in the Diet elections of June 1959...

...democracy...

...Bukichi Miki...

...It embraced all prewar Socialists regardless of ideological differences...

...In their view, the present majority in the Diet does not represent the will of the majority of the people...

...The latter was preparing a general strike in February 1947 when the Occupation authorities interfered and issued a last minute injunction preventing its execution...

...People began questioning whether the two-party system could be conducted smoothly under such circumstances...

...Prime Minister Ikeda recently set forth a new economic policy based on an annual growth of nine per cent...

...This led to a split within Sohyo and the formation of the Japanese Trade Union Congress (Zenro), which was to swing its support to the Right-wing Socialists...

...At first Sohyo’s principal slogans were "anti-Communist," with the result that the Occupation authorities helped and supported its establishment...

...The Socialist party, on the other hand, is blamed for not being satisfied with opposing the bills it does not like...

...They were compelled to ask the Central Government for subsidies each year...

...Then the conflict intensified and often threatened to split the party...

...Nishio and his group then decided that the time had come to leave the JSP and announced the formation of the Democratic Socialist party...

...The power of these influences must be put into proper perspective if parliamentary government in Japan is to function effectively...

...External pressure for the JSP to become a more effective opposition by broadening its appeal resulted in the emergence of two opposing factions within the party...

...In the political arena particularly, many a minor politician tends to attach himself to an influential one...

...After Ichiro Hatoyama retired, Tanzan Ishibashi and Nobusuke Kishi contested the leadership...

...Socialist parties in Europe were under the influence of Marxism from the 19th through the beginning of the 20th century...

...It was not without reason that the Kishi Cabinet was called a cabinet of bureaucrats...

...Far from trying to encourage order, they are often delighted to fan the flames of disorder...

...Both parties must bear in mind the disturbing fact that the Japanese Communist party, whose regular membership is numbered in the thousands, is nevertheless able to get votes numbered in the millions at election time...

...Almost all bills submitted to the Diet are prepared by the Government, and the overwhelming majority of Government hills are prepared by the bureaucrats...

...Let us examine the history of this conflict within the Socialist camp...

...A new concept of the "mass-class-party" was invented as the basis for the compromise...

...It is said that the unification of the Liberal party and the Japanese Democratic party was urged by business circles influenced by the movement toward Socialist unity...