Exploring Japan's modern-day political parties
Exploring Japan's Modern-Day Political Parties Japan’s political landscape has seen seismic shifts since the end of World War II. The island nation has come a long way from the medieval period when samurai clans held political power. Today, there are numerous smaller political parties and niche organizations vying for power in the lower house of Japan's Diet. In this article, we’ll explore the various modern-day political parties and organizations in Japan and find out how they’ve shaped the nation’s politics since the end of the war. Following Japan’s surrender in the Second World War, a new constitution was established with the aim of protecting human rights and establishing a pacifist society. This document eventually gave birth to the current two-party system comprised of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). The LDP was founded in 1955 by a coalition of right-leaning groups and was long the dominant political force in Japan. It held ...