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Voters disapproval of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's agenda led to Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) significant loss in the Upper House elections held in July 2007. The set-back was largely attributed to the public's perception that Abe and the LDP failed in performing their duties and forming useful agenda for the people. Detailed evaluation of Abe's policy and popularity is given.

Urban voters in Japan have traditionally not been very politically active, but many of them took the trouble to vote in the elections on Jul 12, 1998. This was a key element in the very poor performance of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which gained only 44 of the 126 seats being contested. The LDP did not gain any seats at all in the districts that include the four largest Japanese cities, and it seems clear that urban voters are now expressing their opposition to the party's policies.

Leaders of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) predict a loss of 15 to 20 seats in the Jul 1992 elections, but believe that it will not be due to the stockmarket crash. Public approval of Kiichi Miyazawa and the LDP had fallen to 22% even before the crash, which had minimally affected ordinary citizens. Unemployment is negligible at 2%, wage increases have averaged 4.9%, and gross national product is flat in the 1st qtr of 1992. However, a further downslide in the stockmarket will push corporations into bankruptcies, and cause ordinary citizens to feel the effects of recession.

HOW much does corruption matter? Since American occupiers 45 years ago imposed a democratic constitution on a humbled nation, Japan's politicians have regularly mocked its western pretensions. They have taken [...]