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Japan's new challengers upbeat | World | bdnews24.com
Nurul Islam Hasib
Senior Correspondent from Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, Dec 14 (bdnews24.com)New challengers in Sunday's general election are refusing to throw in the towel even though opinion polls rule out their chances.
The election has witnessed emergence of many political parties in Japan just before the campaign began on Dec 4.
Soon after the start of the most restrictive campaigning where the use of mobile and internet is banned, the buzz in the media has been the chances of the 'third force' due to the presence of 12 parties in the election and Japan's current diplomatic and economic situation.
But the latest media polls discard that chance showing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), that ruled Japan almost 50 years continuously until 2009 when the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) came to power, clearly ahead.
However, the volunteers of the Japan Restoration Party (JRP), which is being seen the most significant among the new comers due to its two co-founders former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara and Mayor of Osaka Toru Hashimoto, remained optimistic.
"We want to restore our Japan," Atsushi Kawabata, who identified himself as a 'genuine volunteer', told bdnews24.com at the office of Yoshitaka Kato who is fighting on the party ticket in a crucial constituency comprising Tokyo's Chiyoda, Minato and Shinjuku cities.
According to latest media polls, the JRP may secure 50 of the 480 seats in the Lower House of Japan's National Diet while the LDP is clearly ahead with 300 seats and ruling DPJ is tipped to win only 70 seats.
A visit to Kato's election office on Friday at Yotsuya in central Tokyo found the volunteers busy with last-minute campaign preparations.
The constituency is the centre of Japan's politics and economy as the National Diet is located in Chiyoda.
"This seat is symbolic for us," says Kawabata who affiliated with the party through a school of politics that the party leaders started more than one and a half years ago before launching the party in November this year.
He says their survey shows they have may win this constituency.
As Japan's election law bans use of money and food in the campaigning except for giving salaries to campaign car drivers, supporters of a party volunteer the campaign.
Kawabata says they want to restore Japan by changing the current National Diet which consists of the Lower House, which is the House of Representatives, and Upper House, which is the House of Councillors both directly elected under a parallel election.
"It creates political chaos and freezes decision," he said and added that "current tension (Japan's) with China and North Korea and sales tax hike were the results of that chaos."
"Due to the divided Diet, there is always conflict (in Lower House and Upper House), we cannot decide and make clear decision on any issue," he says.
"We want one congress system," he says, explaining that in Japan when it comes to choosing a Prime Minister, approving the budget and ratifying treaties, decisions in the Lower House take priority over the Upper House.
But for other legislative action, including passing administration-sponsored bills, Upper House takes the lead.
He says they are also campaigning for changing election laws.
"We cannot use internet. We cannot use mobile. It's banned here. This is very strange. We want to change this culture." He accused the long-serving LDP for enacting those laws "to retain power".
"Even if we lose this time, the campaign still would have a lasting effect on the people who really want change," he said.
But Yoshi Mitsugi, a key volunteer of the candidate, was sanguine. "Let's see still we have time," he told bdnews24.com while giving directives to his colleagues about the last-moment campaign.
Nurul Islam Hasib
Senior Correspondent from Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, Dec 14 (bdnews24.com)New challengers in Sunday's general election are refusing to throw in the towel even though opinion polls rule out their chances.
The election has witnessed emergence of many political parties in Japan just before the campaign began on Dec 4.
Soon after the start of the most restrictive campaigning where the use of mobile and internet is banned, the buzz in the media has been the chances of the 'third force' due to the presence of 12 parties in the election and Japan's current diplomatic and economic situation.
But the latest media polls discard that chance showing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), that ruled Japan almost 50 years continuously until 2009 when the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) came to power, clearly ahead.
However, the volunteers of the Japan Restoration Party (JRP), which is being seen the most significant among the new comers due to its two co-founders former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara and Mayor of Osaka Toru Hashimoto, remained optimistic.
"We want to restore our Japan," Atsushi Kawabata, who identified himself as a 'genuine volunteer', told bdnews24.com at the office of Yoshitaka Kato who is fighting on the party ticket in a crucial constituency comprising Tokyo's Chiyoda, Minato and Shinjuku cities.
According to latest media polls, the JRP may secure 50 of the 480 seats in the Lower House of Japan's National Diet while the LDP is clearly ahead with 300 seats and ruling DPJ is tipped to win only 70 seats.
A visit to Kato's election office on Friday at Yotsuya in central Tokyo found the volunteers busy with last-minute campaign preparations.
The constituency is the centre of Japan's politics and economy as the National Diet is located in Chiyoda.
"This seat is symbolic for us," says Kawabata who affiliated with the party through a school of politics that the party leaders started more than one and a half years ago before launching the party in November this year.
He says their survey shows they have may win this constituency.
As Japan's election law bans use of money and food in the campaigning except for giving salaries to campaign car drivers, supporters of a party volunteer the campaign.
Kawabata says they want to restore Japan by changing the current National Diet which consists of the Lower House, which is the House of Representatives, and Upper House, which is the House of Councillors both directly elected under a parallel election.
"It creates political chaos and freezes decision," he said and added that "current tension (Japan's) with China and North Korea and sales tax hike were the results of that chaos."
"Due to the divided Diet, there is always conflict (in Lower House and Upper House), we cannot decide and make clear decision on any issue," he says.
"We want one congress system," he says, explaining that in Japan when it comes to choosing a Prime Minister, approving the budget and ratifying treaties, decisions in the Lower House take priority over the Upper House.
But for other legislative action, including passing administration-sponsored bills, Upper House takes the lead.
He says they are also campaigning for changing election laws.
"We cannot use internet. We cannot use mobile. It's banned here. This is very strange. We want to change this culture." He accused the long-serving LDP for enacting those laws "to retain power".
"Even if we lose this time, the campaign still would have a lasting effect on the people who really want change," he said.
But Yoshi Mitsugi, a key volunteer of the candidate, was sanguine. "Let's see still we have time," he told bdnews24.com while giving directives to his colleagues about the last-moment campaign.
