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The story behind Japan's 2024 election: Why is Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba so eager to dissolve parliament?
On October 27, 2024, Japan held an early election for the lower house of parliament. Behind this election was the urgent decision of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, as well as a series of scandals within the government and public dissatisfaction. After Shigeru Ishiba was elected as the new chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on September 27, he announced the dissolution of Congress less than a month ago in an attempt to seek public trust. The haste and intention of this decision make people think: Is there a deeper political calculation hidden under the strong political tactics?
The results of this election were a heavy blow to the ruling coalition, with the LDP losing its majority in the House of Commons for the first time and facing the second-worst election result in its history.
Under the administration of Shigeru Ishiba, Japan is experiencing a series of political crises. Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was forced to resign due to continued low approval ratings and scandals. Rising domestic opposition and a crisis of confidence in the government amid a corruption scandal involving members of the Liberal Democratic Party prompted Ishiba's swift action.
The background of Kishida’s resignation
Since 2021, Kishida Fumio has encountered many challenges during his administration, including public condemnation and protests caused by his association with the Unification Church after the assassination of Shinzo Abe in 2022. As a result, his cabinet's approval rating fell sharply, eventually falling to 17% in a December 2023 poll. All this made Kishida unable to reverse the situation in the April 2024 by-election, and finally announced on August 14 that he would not seek re-election.
"Kishida's ouster is not only a personal failure, but also reflects the LDP's struggles in the current political environment."
Ishiba Shigeru’s election decision
After Ishiba took over the leadership position of the LDP, he quickly decided to arrange early elections. This strategy seemed to be a method he hoped to restore confidence. On October 30, Ishiba officially announced the election date, dissolving the lower house only eight days after his inauguration, a move that became one of the fastest electoral arrangements since World War II.
This series of reorganizations has made the election competition more intense. Many political parties have re-elected new party leaders. The Democratic Party and other opposition parties have also strengthened their candidate lists, hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to gain more seats.
"This election is not only a test for the LDP, but also a testimony to the irreversible changes in Japan's political situation."
Impact of election results
The final results of the election dealt a major blow to the ruling coalition. The seats of the LDP and its ally Komeito dropped significantly. The latter's performance made the public opinion rebound more obvious. On the other hand, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party made a significant gain, increasing from 96 seats to 148 seats, creating the best achievement in history.
“We need to rethink how Japan’s political landscape will evolve in the future.”
The turnout for this election also reflected public dissatisfaction with the status quo, being only 53.84%, once again lower than before. In this election, apart from the ruling coalition, the biggest sufferer was the Komeito Party, which was once the strongest in parliament. It lost all its seats in Osaka. The rise of emerging opposition forces has undoubtedly reshaped the landscape of party competition.
Conclusion
With Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba facing a chaotic and uneasy political environment, his decision to dissolve Congress is undoubtedly a risky move. Now that the election results have been announced, what is the future direction of politics?
