LDP’s return to power in Japan

Yuba Nath Lamsal
The keenly watched parliamentary election of Japan was held in December 16 in which the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a thumping majority to form the government of its own. The return of the LDP to power in Japan marks a sea change not only in Japanese policies, but also in the international politics. The election had been seen as a fight between liberals and conservatives in Japanese politics. The victory of conservative LDP signals that Tokyo is likely to adopt ultra-rightist policies at home, while in the international front the new government may join the bandwagon of Western Hawkish club and bring more tension in the Asia and the Pacific region. In other words, the results of recent Japan’s general election mark the return of the agenda of 1930 decade—nationalism and militarism. The determination that the LDP has made public during the election and earlier that Tokyo would be more assertive in Asia and also in the world to protect its pride and interest by applying every means possible, including the military force. This indicates that Asia and the Pacific region is likely to see more tension especially between Japan and China on issues pertaining to the ownership over some disputed territories in the South China and East China Sea. Once the tension flares up between Beijing and Tokyo, it is likely to create further fissures in the entire region as there are already conflicts on territorial claims between China and some other East Asian countries.
LDP leader Shinzo Abe has already spoken tough language and is expected to take a hard line response in the territorial dispute with Beijing over the islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Abe declared that the Senkakus were part of “Japan’s inherent territory” and warned that “our objective is to stop the challenge” from China. But Beijing contradicted it saying that the disputed islands historically belonged to China. Given the overture of Beijing’s officials, China is prepared to do everything possible to have 'its territories back’. However, Beijing seems to be well aware of the consequences if tension flared up in the region. Thus, China has already asked the new Japanese leadership to tone down its rhetoric and be practical in resolving the issues on territorial disputes on the basis of historical evidences.
During the election campaign, the LDP had promised that it, if voted to power, would start building some permanent structures on the uninhabited but disputed islands. This move, if at all taken place, would definitely but dramatically worsen relations between China and Japan. A tense situation already exists in the East China Sea after the present Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) government “nationalized” the islets in September. Last week, the Japanese military fighter jets hovered around and close to the disputed areas ostensibly, as some Japanese media reported, to intercept a Chinese maritime surveillance plane that entered the airspace around the islands. These moves had been taken by the DPJ government to woo voters in view of growing nationalist sentiment of Japanese over the simmering dispute with China on territorial claims. The LDP and its leader Abe responded with more hawkish and nationalist posture and promised to deal firmly, if necessary, to restore Japanese prestige and pride both at national as well as international level. If need be, Japan would resort to militarism to protect its interest in the region and international arena.
With both Beijing and Tokyo whipping up nationalism, the countries and people in the region are more skeptical about their fate. Western hawkish regimes, which are already panicked by the projection of Asian century with countries like China and Japan leading the world, are trying to find an opportune time to flare up tension in order to have their dominant role in Asia and the Pacific region intact so that their rise in the global stage would be kept on check. These Western powers, which are self-portraying themselves as the messiah of global security and peace, are instigating some countries in the region to cross sword against one another with the objective of engaging the Asian powers in regional conflict. There is already widespread public disaffection and anger over deteriorating living standards in the West for the last few years following a global economic crisis. Washington, London and their Allies are fabricating conflict in the region to divert public attention. History is witness that Western economies are war-fed. Western economies boom at the time of war and they contract during peace time. War in other region is at the interest of the Western powers and that is the reason behind the war in Iraq, Middle-East, Afghanistan and Africa. If war breaks out and tension flares up anywhere in the world, it opens up a good market for their fatal weapons by which their economies prosper. China and Japan are economic super powers. If these two Asian giants were kept engaged in regional conflict, they would not be able to challenge in global politics. Against this background the conflict in the Asia and the Pacific is being propped up.
The conflict has its internal dimension, too. The rightist rulers in Japan have deliberately and purposefully raised the specter of nationalism with calculated thought out tactics of diverting the attention of Japanese people from economic slump and unemployment problem to issues concerning dispute over territories. Both the DPJ and LDP are putting extra-efforts to portray the picture that Japan is close to war with the objective of pacifying public frustration and dissatisfaction over the performance of the rulers. Japanese economy has already gone into recession for the fifth time in 15 years with Japanese exports being hit hard by shrieking markets in the US, Europe and China. After two decades of economic stagnation, Japan has lost its image of world’s second largest economy. China has replaced Japan as the world’s second largest economy and Japan’s power and position is likely to further erode as some other countries are coming up as global economic power.
Abe is not trying to restore Japan’s image but to re-establish his party with the agenda of “new LDP” or ‘hawkish LDP’.  It remains to be seen how far he would be able to succeed in his mission and objective. But one thing is sure that Japan is now slowly moving back to militarism—a departure of its long-cherished policy since the end of the World War II. After humiliating and disastrous defeat in the World War II at the hands of the United States, Japan gave up its military adventure and instead it focused more on economic reconstruction and development with the United States taking over the responsibility of Japan’s security. As a result, Japan emerged as the economic super power within a short span of time. Now other Asian countries especially China are emerging as economic and military powers posing serious threat to the domination of the Western countries in general and the United States in particular in the Asia and the Pacific region.
China and Japan have always been Asian powers and competitors. It is natural for the two powers to clash, which has been proven by history. Even in the past, clash of interest had occurred between China and Japan. In the decade of 1930s, Japan had also been hit hard by the slump in world trade, and had plunged into deep economic and political crisis. The militarist regime in Tokyo sought to overcome Japan’s economic malaise through wars for markets and raw materials. For this, Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China as a whole in 1937. The military occupation of China greatly exacerbated tensions with the United States, which had its own interests in China. This clash of interest between the United States and Japan led to the Pacific War in 1941.
Now Japan is in the similar crisis whereas its competitor is different. In the 1930s, Japan’s competitor was the United States. Now China is Japan’s economic competitor. Thus, Japan has raised the specter of militarism against China in possible collaboration with the United States. But both Japan and China would be the loser if tension breaks out between these two Asian neighbors. In such an eventuality, only the extra-continental power will benefit.