Link: 【急闻速报】日本执政联盟解体，高市早苗恐落选首相 - #13，来自 zqjjcw
After the dissolution of Japan’s political alliance yesterday and the earthquake in the political scene, I went to observe the comments section of Yahoo Japan news and found some interesting phenomena. The observed results clearly prove that the vast majority of Japanese voters (including right-wing and far-right voters) are not interested in establishing fascist dictatorship in Japan, and are also unlikely to express support for it. This serves as a strong counterattack to the reactionary rhetoric of “the Japanese are beyond salvation” circulating widely on Chinese-language networks.
Before that, it should be noted that Japan is also among the most hypocritical of capitalist liberal democracies. The ruling power in Japan has long been held by the LDP governing coalition, and even within the LDP there are a few political oligarchs (such as Taro Aso, Shinzo Abe, etc.) forming open factions. After the exposure of “black money” scandals, political manipulation by the monopolistic capitalist class has become even more evident. And the major opposition parties also flip-flop, and when they have come to power, they have largely not implemented some of the reformist policies they advocated. Therefore, many Japanese people have a certain understanding of the hypocrisy of bourgeois democracy and are not interested in voting. A large portion of Japan’s proletariat, because there is no party truly representing the interests of workers, and given that they have no money or leisure, do not participate in voting. These circumstances are directly reflected in the turnout rate; the voter turnout in Japan’s elections is among the very lowest in all capitalist democracies. Last year, the lower house turnout was only 53.85%, and this year’s House of Councillors election turnout rose significantly but is still only 58.51%, far below the United States, Germany, France, and other capitalist democracies. The reason bourgeois democracy in Japan has been able to consolidate is that, in fact, the people who have the spoils of concern for politics and online political discussion and voting are mainly small bourgeoisie. Moreover, the higher one’s economic status, the more likely it is that small bourgeoisie whose real interests are directly affected by investment, pension, child care policies will care about bourgeois democracy. Currently, Japan’s proletariat is in a spontaneous state, not woke, does not understand class analysis, and cannot change anything through elections. They are just as Engels said, “the proletariat, because it has not yet realized its historical mission, must at first play the role of the most advanced section of the bourgeoisie’s far-left.” Under the current circumstances, they are still being deceived by the bourgeoisie, and the bourgeoisie can continue to rule by using the shell of formal democracy.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4a0b47ba4c1af44be06c19365f604cd522b12069/comments
In the comments section of the news about the dissolution of the civil-government coalition, the top-liked comments are as follows:
1 I welcome Komeito’s bold decision. Even if the LDP wins the election, many supporters and independents may feel that the LDP’s signature policies have been interrupted, which makes them rethink why they voted for the LDP. As the LDP forms a minority government, the question of expanding the ruling coalition becomes the focus, but the ruling framework of the LDP and Komeito is considered limited, so although the future direction of the ruling coalition is not yet clear, the biggest difficulty in reconstructing the political arena has been resolved. A ruling coalition composed of policy-compatible parties is healthy, and voters can make easier choices in elections.
2 It feels like the end of an era. Restoring trust now is more important than political stability. I don’t mind restructuring, but I hope to see clean politics. Some people think the dissolution of the alliance will bring chaos; I want to see this as an opportunity to “return to the origin.” Public critical awareness is becoming stronger, which is a good thing.
3 I think this is a good opportunity. For candidates weaker in the LDP, this will be painful and the next election may also be difficult, but I think because of the presence of Komeito, the loss of LDP identity is a big drawback. In addition, Komeito has long held the portfolio of Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, which is a big issue. This will be a difficult start, but with Takashi Taichi’s appointment as president, Komeito also withdrew, which is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for change.
These comments’ likes reach forty-five to eighty thousand. It clearly shows that a large portion of Japanese voters think the LDP’s one-party dominance being broken is a good thing, and (to the extent that they were misled but expressed approval) support Komeito’s disclosure of funding sources and dismissal of involved lawmakers, hoping to strengthen democracy and integrity in Japanese politics from this matter.
If the previous news bottom comments were mostly center-left, then the comments section of this news is mostly right-wing. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/10a123430bfe9256635f44156b0e40e24200c692/comments
Most of the comments there are LDP voters.
Two highly-liked comments:
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As you commented, I think this is good. In fact, some people even say that just on this point, Takashi Taichi did well! First, the differences in direction are too great, which is impossible. They say they have been together for 26 years, but the result has been three consecutive failures, with fewer legislators. It may be difficult to change the party by changing your way of thinking, but I hope you keep people-centered and continue to advance politics.
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Congratulations! Since Takashi Taichi became president, the situation has gradually improved, even though she has not taken any action yet. Amazing! It’s like removing barnacles from the hull. This should restore the ship’s propulsion. I think this is also part of the political restructuring trend and the first step for Japan to regain the lost 30 years. I have high hopes for Taichi, but even if she does not succeed, the party is still in politics, so there is still hope. Please provide help for people’s livelihoods as soon as possible.”
And most LDP voters’ views can also be explained by one of these comments: “The dissolution of the LDP-Komeito alliance is undoubtedly a blow to the LDP, but it also gives the public an opportunity to scrutinize the positions of LDP politicians. The 26-year-long cooperation between the LDP and Komeito has always favored maintaining group votes and vested interests, leading to a tendency to delay policies directly related to people’s livelihoods. After the alliance dissolves, the LDP will lose a stable voter base and be forced to turn to the voters. President Taichi may have expressed disappointment, but this situation is also an opportunity for them to take back policy-making responsibility. The current question is whether the LDP can prioritize policies directly related to people’s livelihoods, such as tax cuts, price control measures, and inflation countermeasures. Although short-term chaotic conditions may continue, in the long run this could bring reform to the LDP.”
These people, for whom the political demands are still seeking “spiritual victory,” with the second comment even moving toward a clearly reactionary stance, hope the LDP will quickly “reform” and “support livelihoods” during the governance crisis. Even looking at these right-wing/far-right voters’ political demands, you can see they mainly still belong to the “daily life” folks. Their political demands basically call for the LDP to use this opportunity to reform, be somewhat more廉洁 in politics, and then enact some reformist policies to assist livelihoods. They are not true “freaks,” but because their daily lives are still stable, they do not want major changes, so they vote for the LDP. Many of them are still deceived by the bourgeoisie and their own interests, simply hoping the LDP can maintain the current living standards while making some improvements.
From these comments, one can also see that nowadays most small-bourgeois voters also think “change” is needed, even reactionary right-wing voters, and they think the LDP must also make changes to achieve political democracy and improve livelihoods. Due to their class stance and real interests, most still remain within the framework of bourgeois democracy, not supporting major political upheaval, and showing no trend toward a proletarian position. However, it is clear that the majority among them will not support fascism coming to power, which is the exact opposite of the reactionary rhetoric like “the Japanese are incurably sick and support militarization and starting wars” popular on mid-left networks.
