54 year ruling Conservative Party in Japan tossed on their asses

ehrie · Aug 31, 2009

Frist of all, 54 freakin years of unending rule(except for an 11 months hiatus). Wow. It's a wonder opposition still existed there at all. Well, for the first time since the 50s, Japan with have a Center-Left gov't.

Opposition wins landslide in Japan election

After 54 years of nearly unbroken rule, Japan's ruling conservative party conceded defeat Sunday to the left-of-centre opposition in parliamentary elections.

Preliminary results broadcast by Japanese TV networks show the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is poised to capture 300 of 480 lower house seats — more than enough to control the national agenda — ousting the Liberal Democrats, who have governed Japan for all but 11 months since 1955.

Official results are expected early Monday.
Prime Minister Taro Aso said he takes responsibility for the defeat and will resign as head of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
"These results are very severe," he said at party headquarters in Tokyo. "There has been a deep dissatisfaction with our party."
Kotaro Tamura, an LDP member of the national legislature, said his party made too many "crucial mistakes," including changing the prime minister three times without holding an election.

The untested DPJ has promised to boost spending on social programs and reduce the power of bureaucrats.

The opposition's win comes as Japan struggles with record unemployment and an economy that is showing tentative signs of emerging from a bruising recession.

DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama, the apparent new prime minister-in-waiting, said voters were "angry with politics and the ruling coalition." During the campaign, the party accused the government of ruining Japan's social security net and widening the gap between the rich and poor.
"We felt a great sense of people wanting change for their livelihoods and we fought this election for a change in government," he said.
As opposition leader, Hatoyama, 62, was a strong critic of what he called Tokyo's subservient position to Washington.
With his party now expected to take power, he is expected to strengthen economic ties with Japan's Asian neighbours, including China. Japan should work with other Asian countries to create a single regional currency, Hatoyama wrote in an op-ed piece for The New York Times last week.
He said he would not seek radical change in Japan's foreign policy — that the U.S.-Japan alliance would continue to be the cornerstone of Japanese diplomatic policy — but he predicted "the era of U.S.-led globalism is coming to an end."
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http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/08/30/japan-election.html

Rimjob Bob · Aug 31, 2009

It's a bad decade for conservatives, it seems.

TheBurgerKing · Aug 31, 2009

good, maybe now Japan will get uncensored porn and the everyday salaryman can stop being his boss' slave

Paladin · Aug 31, 2009

Wow! Huge shift of power.

The leftists will get a chance to show how well they can fix an economy.

I guess we can cross off Japan as a future competitor.

oldfella1962 · Aug 31, 2009

I guess we can cross off Japan as a future competitor.
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YES! My plan of sending in Jerry Lewis as a "ringer" via portraying a Kabuki loving politician actually worked.
Be afraid Japan.....be very afraid!

Starguard · Aug 31, 2009

who have governed Japan for all but 11 months since 1955
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So... who ruled during the previous years between then and 1945?

RickDeckard · Aug 31, 2009

Starguard said: ↑

who have governed Japan for all but 11 months since 1955
Click to expand...

So... who ruled during the previous years between then and 1945?
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An Allied interim government?

Chili · Aug 31, 2009

Paladin said: ↑

Wow! Huge shift of power.

The leftists will get a chance to show how well they can fix an economy.

I guess we can cross off Japan as a future competitor.
Click to expand...

The Japanese Cons did a great job at that in the past 15 years

evenflow · Aug 31, 2009

Hmmm, let's look at the policies that the "Conservative" government of Japan has enacted these last few years...

The scenario was eerily familiar. A long real estate bubble that had expanded extra rapidly for the previous five years suddenly burst, and asset prices came crashing back down to earth. Banks and financial institutions were left holding piles of worthless paper, and the economy soon headed south. The national government responded to the crisis by encouraging more lending and spending previously unfathomable amounts of money on public works projects in an effort to stimulate consumer spending and restart growth.

But that stimulus did not save the Japanese economy in the 1990s; far from it. The ensuing period came to be known as the Lost Decade, characterized by multiple recessions, an annual average growth rate of less than 1 percent, and a two-decade decline in stock prices and corporate profits.

The Japanese government’s easing of credit rates, instead of spurring real demand, created artificial demand. Federal loans and stimulus spending were not economically productive, and they vastly increased the nation’s debt and prolonged the economic malaise. Worse, businesses spent critical time on the sidelines, waiting for government bailouts and other centralized actions, instead of speedily consolidating their losses, clearing their balance sheets of bad investments, and reorganizing.
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[YT="Visual aid for the reading impaired"]0ecKF_FPM34[/YT]

Zombie · Aug 31, 2009

Wow. We pretty much are playing things the Japanese way.

ehrie · Aug 31, 2009

evenflow said: ↑

Hmmm, let's look at the policies that the "Conservative" government of Japan has enacted these last few years...

The scenario was eerily familiar. A long real estate bubble that had expanded extra rapidly for the previous five years suddenly burst, and asset prices came crashing back down to earth. Banks and financial institutions were left holding piles of worthless paper, and the economy soon headed south. The national government responded to the crisis by encouraging more lending and spending previously unfathomable amounts of money on public works projects in an effort to stimulate consumer spending and restart growth.

But that stimulus did not save the Japanese economy in the 1990s; far from it. The ensuing period came to be known as the Lost Decade, characterized by multiple recessions, an annual average growth rate of less than 1 percent, and a two-decade decline in stock prices and corporate profits.

The Japanese government’s easing of credit rates, instead of spurring real demand, created artificial demand. Federal loans and stimulus spending were not economically productive, and they vastly increased the nation’s debt and prolonged the economic malaise. Worse, businesses spent critical time on the sidelines, waiting for government bailouts and other centralized actions, instead of speedily consolidating their losses, clearing their balance sheets of bad investments, and reorganizing.
Click to expand...

[yt="Visual aid for the reading impaired"]0ecKF_FPM34[/yt]
Click to expand...

Conservative by the rest of the world definition, not the American one.

Clyde · Aug 31, 2009

evenflow said: ↑

Hmmm, let's look at the policies that the "Conservative" government of Japan has enacted these last few years...
Click to expand...

That's the thing, the terms conservative and liberal (or left-of-centre) have no meaning. Their value lies solely as selling points for a group of folks looking to be elected.

That's it, end of story.

frontline · Aug 31, 2009

ehrie said: ↑

Conservative by the rest of the world definition, not the American one.
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Maybe, maybe not. But they are sure as hell serving as the model for our liberal / left party. The frustrating thing is that the administration is saying " nonone has been here before" when its total bullshit. They have and left us a road map with warning signs all over it. But we're just gonna keep on truckin I guess.

Caboose · Aug 31, 2009

^

Asyncritus · Aug 31, 2009

evenflow said: ↑

Hmmm, let's look at the policies that the "Conservative" government of Japan has enacted these last few years...

The scenario was eerily familiar. A long real estate bubble that had expanded extra rapidly for the previous five years suddenly burst, and asset prices came crashing back down to earth. Banks and financial institutions were left holding piles of worthless paper, and the economy soon headed south. The national government responded to the crisis by encouraging more lending and spending previously unfathomable amounts of money on public works projects in an effort to stimulate consumer spending and restart growth.

But that stimulus did not save the Japanese economy in the 1990s; far from it. The ensuing period came to be known as the Lost Decade, characterized by multiple recessions, an annual average growth rate of less than 1 percent, and a two-decade decline in stock prices and corporate profits.

The Japanese government’s easing of credit rates, instead of spurring real demand, created artificial demand. Federal loans and stimulus spending were not economically productive, and they vastly increased the nation’s debt and prolonged the economic malaise. Worse, businesses spent critical time on the sidelines, waiting for government bailouts and other centralized actions, instead of speedily consolidating their losses, clearing their balance sheets of bad investments, and reorganizing.
Click to expand...

[YT="Visual aid for the reading impaired"]0ecKF_FPM34[/YT]
Click to expand...

Well, they are called the "Liberal Democrats".

Remember, many Euoropeans consider our liberal Democrats "conservative" also...

Tuttle · Aug 31, 2009

Paladin said: ↑

Wow! Huge shift of power.

The leftists will get a chance to show how well they can fix an economy.

I guess we can cross off Japan as a future competitor.
Click to expand...

The same policies by the US make me cringe, but in the hands of the Japs I am nearly giddy with glee. They will drop like a stone from a competetive #2 economy to one of the many also-ran economies.

Just a slight change from when Japan was threatening to take over the world (I still recall the cries of dismay when the Japs bought Rockefeller Center).

Plus, hopefully we pull all US bases, and save a bunch of money.

Big caveat: if Jap protectionism leads to retaliation and major reductions in free trade it will make everyone worse off. This 'global' recession could extend for decades - much like the economic stagnation of Japan over the past 20 years.

Clyde said: ↑

evenflow said: ↑

Hmmm, let's look at the policies that the "Conservative" government of Japan has enacted these last few years...
Click to expand...

That's the thing, the terms conservative and liberal (or left-of-centre) have no meaning. Their value lies solely as selling points for a group of folks looking to be elected.

That's it, end of story.
Click to expand...

I assumed at first the victorious DPJ just wanted jobs, and made whatever promises were necessary to take the power. But since the policies can make a difference (min wages, stimulus spending on gross levels, protectionist policies, and more welfare), we'll see the results of the experiment yet again when we look at Japan a few years from now.

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54 year ruling Conservative Party in Japan tossed on their asses

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54 year ruling Conservative Party in Japan tossed on their asses

ehrie 1000 threads against me

Rimjob Bob Classy Fellow

TheBurgerKing The Monarch of Flavor

Paladin Overjoyed Man of Liberty

oldfella1962 the only real finish line

Starguard Fresh Meat

RickDeckard Socialist

Chili Guest

evenflow Lofty Administrator

Zombie dead and loving it

ehrie 1000 threads against me

Clyde Orange

frontline Hedonistic Glutton Staff Member Moderator

Caboose ....

Asyncritus Expert on everything

Tuttle Listen kid, we're all in it together.

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