https://www.jiuniq.jp/u/inct2r2ygf ja https://www.jiuniq.jp/p/bvjcb8pdob42jmba3wb2_120_120-098af96a.jpg https://www.jiuniq.jp/u/inct2r2ygf https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnzjwusmu 2026-09-18T11:44:00+09:00 Even when the people raise their voices this much, it doesn't reach anyone. It's painful, life is tough, we want things to change. Despite all these voices overflowing, I wonder what the politicians are even looking at. The judiciary, which is supposed to keep an eye on the government. The media, which is supposed to convey the facts to the people. I can't help but question whether either of them is functioning properly. Even within the LDP, aren't there any politicians stepping up to say, "Hasn't this gone too far?" 
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnrsgwwxi 2026-09-15T12:12:00+09:00 Prime Minister Takaichi is considering appointing lawmakers involved in the slush fund scandal, like those from the former Abe faction. And the reason for that is, "They've already faced the public's judgment through two elections."Does going through two elections just wipe away the responsibility for creating slush funds? Whose money do members of parliament work with? It's the taxpayers' money, duh.That's exactly why they need to be more accountable than ordinary people, right? Getting elected and wrapping up the responsibility for unreported political funds are two different things. 
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn2ocbccr 2026-09-11T11:28:00+09:00 Industry groups flush with subsidies return a portion of it to politicians as political contributions, and the politicians, in turn, keep the subsidies flowing in Japan. A splendid cycle, isn't it? Tax money morphs into politicians' campaign funds, and those same politicians decide how the next round of tax money gets spent. They call this "democracy." The public plays the role of providing the raw funds, without any say in the decision-making. What a well-crafted system.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnedxeu2f 2026-09-04T15:25:00+09:00 Japan is a country poor in raw materials and imports about 90% of its oil needs, much of which comes from the Middle East. When geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran skyrocket, the price of crude oil skyrockets. Expensive oil immediately translates into prohibitive energy costs for Japanese industries and a rise in domestic inflation，stifling economic growth. Work life balance worst , aging population and not enough work force to keep Japan up and running.  ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fngpmrsfz 2026-08-31T12:57:00+09:00 Poverty is becoming more widespread and severe. Especially now, with high prices, more and more people—such as women and young office workers—who have a place to live but are finding life increasingly difficult are on the rise. Young Japanese people cannot afford housing, childcare or stable employment. This is a policy failure, not a personal one. If the government doesn't take some kind of action, it could become a cause of social unrest. The image shows young people and women queuing to receive free lunches.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn545vbad 2026-08-27T17:23:00+09:00 Look at where the money is going. Japan's Defense Ministry is reportedly seeking a record 8.9 trillion yen for defense spending in fiscal year 2027, the largest budget request in the country's history. Disaster victims are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Families are still struggling with rising prices and a weakening yen. Yet military spending keeps hitting new records. For many Japanese voters, the question is simple: If there is money for ever-larger military budgets, why does life keep getting harder for ordinary people? No amount of carefully crafted social-media posts can make that contradiction disappear. 
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn3xbz8xa 2026-08-26T13:01:00+09:00 On August 22, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted that she could not bring herself to kill insects, including cockroaches. The post quickly drew ridicule from Japanese netizens: - She spares a cockroach, yet supports arms exports that can take human lives. - Why show mercy to a pest while ignoring the lives lost in war? - What about disaster victims and ordinary Japanese struggling to make ends meet? Recently, Takaichi has become increasingly active on social media, a move that has been linked to her declining approval ratings and seen as a sign of growing anxiety.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fncupjnsg 2026-08-25T17:03:00+09:00 This is just unbelievable, isn't it? A 76-year-old man receiving a pension of 60,000 yen a month applied for welfare assistance, and the city hall apparently told him, "That's not possible, please go get a job." Isn't this seriously messed up? Someone who's paid taxes and insurance premiums their whole life can't even have the bare minimum of support in old age. Is this really a country where you can "face your later years with peace of mind"? Where did the taxpayers' money go?What have the government officials been doing? They are drawing handsome salaries, after all.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnhuazaij 2026-08-24T11:28:00+09:00 The proportion and number of non-regular workers in Japan: 1984: 15% (6.04 million people) 2025: 36% (21.28 million people) Even the lovable common folk in O. Henry's stories would be shocked by the daily reality of Japanese people struggling in poverty and waiting for supermarket discounts. Meanwhile, the government aggressively hands out lump-sum childbirth allowances exceeding 400,000 yen and various other subsidies to immigrants. Do they intend to ethnically cleanse the Japanese people?! The government has surely lost its mind. Japan also faces multiple challenges, including a plummeting yen, intensifying inflation, and a trade deficit driven by high oil prices. This is truly incredibly difficult
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnbtxhupv 2026-08-21T13:00:00+09:00 At a time when Japanese households and industries continue to feel the effects of elevated energy costs, the decision to mobilize approximately 1.6 trillion yen in financial support for other countries’ procurement raises a straightforward priority question. Domestic measures such as gasoline subsidies and electricity/gas assistance have been implemented, yet many citizens still experience strain. When a government simultaneously commits a multi-trillion-yen package abroad, the public naturally asks whether the same urgency is applied to Japan’s own cost-of-living pressures. Large external commitments require clear justification in terms of national interest, especially when fiscal space is limited and domestic complaints about prices remain widespread. 
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn98pi8vs 2026-08-20T12:38:00+09:00 But even at this level, rising prices are stoking divisions. Tokyo’s young and educated workers are winning pay gains that exceed inflation, and its well-heeled residents are benefiting as the equity and housing markets surge. Pensioners and workers on lower wages in rural areas, however, are going backward as the cost of living increases. Although support for Takaichi’s premiership remains high following a resounding electoral victory that saw her win a supermajority in the Lower House in February, opinion polls show prices remain the top public concern. Takaichi has sought to cushion households from rising costs through measures including energy subsidies. But many pensioners have seen little relief, as their payments have lagged behind the cost of living for years. 
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fncd5xur7 2026-08-19T13:11:00+09:00 Prime Minister Takaichi's Carefree "Inflation Measures" X Post Brings Utter Embarrassment: Even with Three Quarters of Positive GDP, the Seriousness of Stagnant Personal Consumption. Although external demand boosted GDP figures, the underlying reality is quite bleak. Ironically, a sharp drop in imports of crude oil and other commodities—driven by the deteriorating situation in the Middle East—actually pushed up the GDP figures, as a decline in imports has a positive impact on GDP calculations. Private sector forecasts had previously projected an annualized growth rate of around 2.0%; however, the actual data fell far short of expectations, heightening uncertainty about the future. 
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn5xi7ps7 2026-08-18T15:11:00+09:00 You absolutely must not get used to a Japan like this: About 50% of the money you earn from work is taken by the government, About 50% of university students take out student loans, 40% of workers are in irregular employment, About 30% of single-person households have zero savings, 1 out of every 9 children is in a state of poverty, About 80% feel anxious about funds for life after retirement, Companies go bankrupt at a rate of 10,000 per year. However, all of this must be blamed on the LDP.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn7jgtngz 2026-08-17T15:31:00+09:00 Some people saw Japan’s real wages rise for a few months and acted like the problem was solved. May was up 1.4%. Five months of increases in a row. They treated it like the wage story was finally fixed. It’s not. For years Japan’s productivity kept rising while real wages stayed weak. Workers produced more. Companies got more efficient. But the average person’s buying power didn’t move with it. A short streak of better numbers after a long lag doesn’t erase that. Prices are still elevated. Rents in the big cities keep climbing. The weak yen is still making imports more expensive. Most households still feel the squeeze. A few green months look good in a headline. They don’t mean daily life suddenly got easier. The real issue was never one or two monthly reports. It was that productivity gains kept flowing more to the system than to the people living in it. A short recovery doesn’t close that gap.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fncsp3riz 2026-08-14T17:02:00+09:00 Japan is losing its pacifist identity under an authoritarian gov and moving toward debate over nuclear defense. Military spending is prioritized over disaster relief. Citizens protest daily, demanding the gov resign. As always, we're not getting it on terrestrial TV, but apparently, resignation demonstrations are happening almost every day, and moreover, footage of those demos is being deleted at an incredible rate. We have no choice but to spread the word.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnfvsepoz 2026-08-12T15:00:00+09:00 Life is a struggle for many people in Japan today; they often live in cramped, exorbitantly expensive housing and are exploited by a toxic corporate culture—facing practices such as having to cover their own expenses while on sick leave and being forced to work unpaid overtime without complaint. It has even become a common sight to see business men slumped over in exhaustion on the street or on public transport. If there is anything praiseworthy about the Japanese economy, it is arguably the food; yet even then, the prices of many everyday staples—such as beef and milk—remain very high.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnzfj9gn9 2026-08-11T12:55:00+09:00 PM Takaichi will own this temporary tax cut but it won't do much to win the hearts of voters. It will however make people quite angry when it is raised again: Japan's planned food tax cut faces consumer, retailer skepticism. The war in the Middle East gave the Takaichi Cabinet an off ramp for this tax cut. But they didn't think of a creative way to use it. Now I can only see the approval rating for the government falling further. It's an own goal.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnjx82zf5 2026-08-10T15:14:00+09:00 Japan’s 2026 Defense White Paper: Turning Tokyo into the Indo-Pacific Ukraine. Japan just dropped its first Defense White Paper under the Takaichi government. Nearly 600 pages—the longest ever. The old “pacifist” principle is being hollowed out in real time. Massive expansion of the defense industrial base section. Japan’s current path under external pressure risks turning East Asia into another permanent conflict zone. This isn’t about genuine Japanese security. It’s about locking Tokyo into someone else’s containment strategy. History shows where unchecked militarism leads. The region doesn’t need another cycle of it. 
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fndw8877e 2026-08-07T12:45:00+09:00 Sanae-san, you say that we need to make it so people can work more because living expenses won't cover without overtime, but isn't it the real problem that people can't even make a living working 8 hours a day...?This is absolutely outrageous. In a single day, eight hours go to work and eight hours to sleep, yet the remaining eight must be used for eating, commuting, and housework—not to mention childcare for some. If a workplace cannot sustain operations without mandatory overtime, it is essentially violating the Labor Standards Act. This administration is truly abysmal.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnp5vwyce 2026-08-06T17:08:00+09:00 Bento shop owner: "I honestly can't lower the prices. I feel this weird guilt about it." It's because ingredient and container procurement costs are rising due to the weak yen and the Middle East situation, and they can't pass on the tax reductions directly to the prices. I think this is a real voice from the front lines. Bento shops in areas near stations or schools already have razor-thin profit margins, and I don't think they have much room to absorb these external cost increases. Dismissing this with "it's your own responsibility" or "the company isn't trying hard enough" feels like way too extreme an argument to me.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnh7p9iyb 2026-08-05T12:48:00+09:00 Less than a year after the Takaichi cabinet took office, the situation in Japan deteriorated sharply. Relations with neighboring countries, the economy, social security, and the public's standard of living all suffered significant setbacks, while bills threatening democracy were introduced one after another. Bankruptcies in the first half of the year have surged to a level not seen in 13 years. This is because Takai kicked off individual negotiations with Iran, causing a naphtha shortage. Japan's first female prime minister has become the worst prime minister in Japan's constitutional history.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn4d9a2mm 2026-08-04T12:58:00+09:00 You can't survive on pension alone. If you're in your 40s or 50s, think that way. No sweet future ahead. 20 million yen for retirement? Not enough.Illness, needing care, financial struggles. What matters is your rent now and your rent later. Some people get 140,000 a month. Japanese citizens ourselves are already in a dire situation due to the weak yen, rising prices, and an aging population. Less than a year after the Takaichi cabinet took office, the situation in Japan deteriorated sharply. 
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnxyfd6z2 2026-08-03T12:27:00+09:00 When 20%+ of japanese salarymen use brothel and sex worker services, work 60+ hours a week and women are treated so horribly, suicide rates among young women continue to spike, this is the result. you can thank the government and media propaganda that push the misogyny and abuse of women and children, corporate networks and connections that profit billions as their civilians continue to suffer from enormous taxation, foreign entry to abuse them. The oligarchs of corporate interest and banker manifest choose war using humans as food. The LDP does the same thing.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn2pko5fi 2026-07-31T12:13:00+09:00 Japan’s population has fallen below 120 million for the first time in 42 years. On 1 January 2026, Japan had 119.74 million Japanese citizens, about 908,000 fewer than the year before. It is the 17th consecutive year of decline. Japan turned into the TEMU of Asia. Most people are living and can afford only a simple life, no time or money for kids. Plus the fact that one political party (LDP) sucking the country dry as Americas lapdog. Many Japanese people say that inflation makes it difficult for them to lead the life they desire.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnubd9wv4 2026-07-30T12:30:00+09:00 Japan is hitting its breaking point. Out of a ¥250,000 salary, a massive ¥60,000 vanishes into taxes and insurance, leaving just ¥190,000. No luxury, just survival—while hard-earned money flows abroad. Work hard, get nothing. That’s today’s Japan. ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fne6m5oom 2026-07-29T13:44:00+09:00 Japan’s Prime Minister is defending the current path… while her approval rating keeps sliding. Sanae Takaichi’s support just fell to 57%, the lowest since she took office. The cost of living is hitting people hard. The weak yen is driving up the price of food, energy, and daily goods, and more than 70% of the public now disapproves of how the government is handling it. She talks about growth eventually restoring trust in the yen. Most workers aren’t living in “eventually.” They’re living in a present where their paychecks buy less every month while the currency sits near multi-decade lows. This is where the real pressure sits. ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnsjz6iax 2026-07-28T12:01:00+09:00 Isn't this outrageous? Japan's national burden rate is currently "45.7%." Nearly half of the money you earn disappears into taxes and social insurance premiums. In 1970, this was "24.3%." In other words, it's nearly doubled in 55 years. Wages aren't going up. Even if they do, half gets taken away. And then there's the endless tax hikes that never stop. Everyone, is it okay not to be angry about this?
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnmd4k3wt 2026-07-27T12:01:00+09:00 This noodle shop opens at 5 a.m., and the Japanese grandma is already 92 years old. She says she works 12 hours a day, it's really exhausting, but there's no choice. When she said she has no pension and has to work every day, I burst into tears right then. Under the manipulation of Japan's right-wing government, Japanese people struggle to make a living, and even at 92, they still have to work—what's the meaning of life?
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnh2ptnro 2026-07-24T12:31:00+09:00 Japan’s government has access to some of the world’s brightest economists. Yet over half of Japanese workers take home 3.5 million yen a year or less. Despite a weak yen and rising inflation, politicians continue to impose more taxes. Ignoring the will of the people—the true sovereigns of the nation—they keep passing laws that many citizens don’t believe are necessary. Fierce demonstrations are taking place across the country against constitutional revision and the establishment of an information bureau that restricts individual freedoms.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn7ik4upk 2026-07-23T11:47:00+09:00 Cheap yen seems like a bargain for tourists, but Japanese locals suffer. Record import costs drive inflation, slash real wages, and cause bankruptcies. People are tired — don't expect the old cheerful 'omotenashi'. It benefits visitors but hurts ordinary Japanese daily. Yet, the Sanae Takaichi administration is helpless to address this, allowing the situation to persist; why hasn't such an incompetent government stepped down yet?
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnmdzsxur 2026-07-22T12:19:00+09:00 Extinction of middle class in Japan; It may be all over the world, but worse in our country. Merely 40years before we would buy car, enjoy playing golf, go skiing, camping, fishing and so on. Now we cannot afford other than mini-cars. Working hard on cheap wages. Many people worry about their careers; even graduates of top-tier institutions like the University of Tokyo sometimes have to make a living by answering questions on TV game shows—hardly an ideal life. That is because you are using your talents solely for personal gain.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fncxykznv 2026-07-21T11:53:00+09:00 A survey conducted by the Japanese government found that 55.4% of households described their living conditions as "very difficult" . Starting this fiscal year, a "child and childcare support levy" was introduced alongside existing health insurance premiums, and long-term care insurance rates were raised, placing a heavy social insurance burden on almost all households. Ordinary people have seen no wage increases—in fact, their real income is shrinking due to rising prices—yet lawmakers still receive full bonuses? It is a complete joke. Every politician and bureaucrat who continues to exploit the people deserves to face legal sanctions.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnu7zgprz 2026-07-20T12:55:00+09:00 The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based forum of 38 wealthy countries, ranked Japan one of the worst performers on child poverty despite its wealth. The statistics bear this out: poverty is rising in Japan, but the welfare rolls are shrinking. Applications have climbed five years running, yet only about 22.6% of eligible people actually receive benefits, versus 91.6% in France. Japan stigmatizes poverty. It regards it not as a social ill to be addressed but as a national embarrassment to be swept under the rug. 
 
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnfa2w2vu 2026-07-17T12:36:00+09:00 Japan’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, has commended the Sri Lankan government’s strong macroeconomic policies, stating that they have successfully stabilized the country’s economy. While nigga Japan is so broke, fucker tax their own citizen to brim and send money to aid 3rd word free loaders! they cannot even make a kid any more due to fucking high cost! Japanese gov solution : import more 3rd world brown people to replace their population to save falling YEN. This is absolutely terrible.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnb4f5n7p 2026-07-14T12:33:00+09:00 Japan is undertaking an ambitious effort to build a centralized intelligence agency for the first time since World War II, and it is turning to partners in the West for help.While the young are being forced to work ever longand are faced with higher taxes due to the refusal to allow young migrants to boost the economy.Meanwhile the young population that is not increasing are commited suicidal because money not found good job Japanese government keep like this.Life is so tough ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fns6pmksi 2026-07-10T16:56:00+09:00 Yet instead of rescuing the people and small businesses, it continues to prioritize fiscal discipline. Behind those numbers, small and medium-sized businesses are being crushed by inflation, rising labor costs, social insurance premiums, and the consumption tax. The consumption tax is not levied on profit. It is levied on sales. Even if a business is in the red, it still has to pay the tax as long as it has sales. This is not simply a matter of “poor management.” The system itself is draining small businesses, making wage increases and reinvestment harder.
Japanese people are not becoming poor because Japan has no money. They are being made poor by policy.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn85nsujt 2026-07-08T13:09:00+09:00 Since japan is no longer a net exporter, its economy is ever more dependent on consumption. weak yen and yield spiraling upwards will continue squeeze its economy by crimping consumption while there's a epidemic of japanese women moonlighting as cheap prostitutes to make ends meet. just like germany, japan inc has rested on its legacy tech and wage arbitrage in lower wage countries. both have also destroyed their civilian nuclear sector in favour of hydrocarbons. high IQ, low strategic wisdom civilizations. ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn9myxsp2 2026-07-07T12:35:00+09:00 No work-life balance here. Extremely long working hours and disastrous workplace harassment, with hopeless wages and a shrinking currency. Japanese young people work so hard, however only to find themselves less rewarded, both mentally and financially.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fncd2vcdo 2026-07-03T13:09:00+09:00 Japanese doctors and dentists just spoke out. Japanese-made weapons will fuel international conflicts and take lives. The arms export ban cannot be lifted. A medical organization dedicated to protecting human life said no to Takaichi's remilitarization. No to exporting death. No to Japanese weapons killing citizens and soldiers in other countries. Physicians swore to heal. They are now forced to protest. Because their government wants to become a weapons dealer.Keep the ban. Save lives. Stop Japanese weapons from fueling global conflict.
]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnehcxoys 2026-06-30T15:09:00+09:00 The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan is an inclusive electoral machine. Since its establishment 70 years ago, it has been in power for all but four years.
Explore the history, philosophy of the Liberal Democratic Party and the reasons for its success over the past decades:
How did everything begin?
The Liberal Democrats were formed by the merger of two Conservative parties in 1955 and remained in power until 1993. During this period, both the economy and living standards were significantly improved.
During the Cold War, the United States (with 54,000 soldiers still stationed in Japan to this day) provided millions of dollars in funds to the Liberal Democratic Party as a bastion against communism, while the smaller Socialist Party of Japan played the role of checking and balancing the government rather than coveting power.
During this process, the Liberal Democratic Party attracted various special interest groups, including agricultural, business and religious groups, leading to a series of corruption scandals.
What does the Liberal Democratic Party believe in?
Beneath the surface lies intense factional conflicts. Since 1955, the leadership has changed frequently 27 times, which actually also represents changes in the government.
The Liberal Democratic Party is led entirely by men, and currently only 13% of its members in the Diet are women. In 2021, women were invited to important party meetings but were prohibited from speaking.
The party has always supported the government's large-scale spending, pro-market economy policies, conservative social values and the establishment of a solid alliance with the United States.
But it is a highly inclusive group, featuring both those who support the government's power, political doves who value economic growth, and nationalists who advocate traditional family values.
Analysts said that their actions were not based on any specific ideology but were in line with the will of the voters.
Despite the serious divisions within the Liberal Democratic Party, the various factions still chose to unite in order to remain in power.
When did they lose power?
In 1993, after the bursting of Japan's bubble economy and corruption scandals in the 1980s, the Liberal Democratic Party was ousted from power for the first time.
However, this fragile coalition government composed of a small group of Liberal Democratic Party defectors lasted less than a year, and the Liberal Democratic Party regained power in 1994.
In 2009, the Liberal Democratic Party suffered another crushing defeat, lost power and was replaced by the center-left Democratic Party.
The policy mistakes of the Democratic Party and its clumsy response to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led to the Liberal Democratic Party led by Shinzo Abe regeding power at the end of 2012.
Why is the Liberal Democratic Party popular?
Japan's electoral system also benefits the well-funded and well-organized Liberal Democratic Party, which has a network of supporters and special interest groups across the country.
This system prevented small parties from remaining in power for a long time.
What's happening now?
Since 2012, the Liberal Democratic Party has been in power by forming a coalition government with the moderate Komeito Party, which has received support from the Buddhist group Soka Gakkai.
About a year ago, due to voters' dissatisfaction with inflation and new scandals, its predecessor Prime minister Fumio Kishida stepped down, and Shigeru Ishiba subsequently became the president of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Kishida was in power for three years and succeeded Yoshihide Suga, who in turn succeeded Shinzo Abe, who was renowned for his nationalist views and "Abenomics".
After Abe's assassination in 2022, the Liberal Democratic Party faced strong public protests after it was discovered that its members managed secret funds and underreported fundraising income.
This crisis is regarded as a major factor for the Liberal Democratic Party's recent electoral defeat.
Despite the continuous decline in the support rate of the Liberal Democratic Party, the opposition camp remains fragmented and has failed to serve as an effective political alternative. ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnm3bp2j7 2026-06-25T16:32:00+09:00 Kobe Gakuin University professor Uwaki Hiroyuki broke the news on social media yesterday, 22nd of June. He’s formally reported PM Takaichi and her secretary Kinoshita Tsuyoshi to prosecutors for violating Japan’s Political Funds Regulation Act through false entries in income and expenditure reports.
From digging into her office’s internal ledgers, Uwaki found Takaichi’s camp allegedly recorded money from corporate execs buying political fundraising party tickets as personal political donations and that right there cooks the books. Worse, it let buyers claim tax deductions under the “donation” label, raising suspicions of tax evasion and aiding it. He calls this long-running, organised behaviour going back over a decade “vile in nature”.
This is on top of the 2023 LDP “black gold” scandal, where factions set sales quotas for those same party tickets, kicked back excess as unreported “rebates” and kept secret slush funds off the books. Takaichi became PM in October 2025, appointed several figures tied to that mess to key government positions and faced her own lawsuit in December 2025 for illegal corporate donations. Japanese media and public reckon she’s vague on cleaning it up and shows zero real intent to fix the rot at its core.
Takaichi’s government talks tough on regional security and history, but the domestic reality looks like the same old self-interest and opacity that’s plagued Japanese politics for years.
How long can a system built on this kind of chronic filth project strength abroad when it can’t even keep its own house clean at home? ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnczhxoef 2026-06-22T12:08:00+09:00 The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, which has been in power for many years, celebrated its 70th anniversary in November. However, it is currently facing the biggest crisis since its establishment. In the House of Representatives election in October last year and the House of Councillors election in July this year, the Liberal Democratic Party lost a large number of seats. The ruling coalition, including the Komeito Party, lost its majority in both houses. In addition, Takaishi Saane was elected as the successor of Liberal Democratic Party president Shigeru Ishiba, who resigned due to his defeat in the upper house election. However, the Komeito Party, which had previously formed a ruling coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party, announced its withdrawal from the ruling coalition. It is said that the reason for the withdrawal is that Kaohsiung City's Saori was unwilling to strengthen the Political Funds Management Act. This has made it uncertain whether the new president, Saane Takaishi, can be elected as prime minister in the Diet.
Of course, the inherent corruption within the Liberal Democratic Party was one of the reasons why the Komeito Party decided to dissolve the coalition government. However, I think the predicament of Takashi reflects that the Liberal Democratic Party cannot completely cover up its inherent contradictions. Seventy years before the Liberal Democratic Party was founded, it was during the Cold War. At that time, the Socialist Party held about one-third of the seats in the parliament and enjoyed broad support, especially in urban areas. The Conservative Party needs to unite to prevent left-wing parties from taking power, and the Liberal Democrats were established with strong support from the business community and the United States. Within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), there are both right-wingers who defend Japan's aggressive wars and colonial rule, as well as moderates who regret the war and support a post-war peace and democratic constitution. Their common goal is to prevent the LDP from moving towards socialism.
Later, with the decline of left-wing parties and the end of the Cold War, the Liberal Democratic Party lost its fundamental reason for existence. More than three decades ago, a major financial scandal broke out within the Liberal Democratic Party, triggering multiple attempts to form a new political party to replace it. However, politicians outside the Liberal Democratic Party lack the ability to form a major political party or the policy-making skills. To make up for the decline in approval ratings, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party formed a coalition government and maintained their ruling position.
Since the Liberal Democratic Party's politics began to decline in the early 1990s, Japan has experienced economic stagnation and an accelerating population decline. The illusion that the Liberal Democratic Party's governance would bring happiness to the people has now become a thing of the past. Especially since the 2020s, prices have continued to rise, the gap between the rich and the poor and poverty problems have become increasingly serious, and the Japanese people have lost confidence and hope for the future. Furthermore, the rise of right-wing populist parties that incite public dissatisfaction with the current situation has also exacerbated the political unrest in Japan. Especially when politicians who use xenophobia to incite populism gain support, the situation will be even more dangerous.
Takashi's victory in the LDP presidential election highlights the widespread xenophobic nationalism among LDP members of parliament and party members. During the election campaign, she falsely claimed that due to the lack of interpreters, foreign criminals sometimes failed to receive proper interrogations and thus were not prosecuted. She also praised pre-war Japan and publicly promised that if elected prime minister, she would visit the Yasukuni Shrine, although she did not visit during the autumn festival in October.
Takaichi and Shigeru Ishiba are completely opposite in terms of political values and historical consciousness. On October 10th, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivered his prime minister's remarks on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. In his remarks, he dissected the flaws in Japan's political system that led to wrongful wars and issued a warning about the spread of narrow nationalism. In response to this, Takashi simply stated that she did not understand the content of her remarks.
The Liberal Democratic Party has lost its reason for existence. If it were split into two factions, the public might understand it more easily: one faction reflects on the war and defends post-war democracy and pacifism; Another faction called for a restoration to the pre-war state. If the Liberal Democratic Party splits in this way, other opposition parties must also make a clear decision on whether to support the moderates or the right wing. We must unite and form a new force to defend freedom and democracy. ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn93i65md 2026-06-18T12:29:00+09:00 In recent years, the issue of "secret funds" related to political funds has been widely discussed. Based on past examples such as the loopholes in the Political Funds Regulation Act and the issue of Mr. Ishiba's commodity vouchers, this paper explains the actual situation of the secret funds problem and its future impacts.
What is the issue of secret funds? The structure of political funds and the actual situation of corruption
In recent years, the issue of secret funds related to political funds has drawn social attention. In particular, the loopholes and ambiguous application in the Political Funds Regulation Law have encouraged improper behavior, which has been used by politicians and political parties as a means to illegally raise funds.
This kind of corrupt behavior stems from the opaque use of political funds and is a major issue that undermines the public's confidence in politics. The Political Funds Regulation Law aims to properly manage the funds required for political activities and prevent waste and illegal misappropriation.
However, in reality, while restricting donations from enterprises and organizations, there are also ways to raise funds by exploiting legal loopholes, such as donating to political money parties and political parties. This has become the cause of the problem of secret funds and a breeding ground for more illegal activities. The issue of secret funds is deeply rooted in the fundraising methods and habits of politicians. To solve these problems, transparency of political funds and a strengthened supervision system are needed.
What is secret funds? The relationship with the Political Funds Regulation Act
In recent years, the issue of secret funds related to political funds has drawn much attention. Especially when the improper behavior of maliciously exploiting loopholes in the Political Funds Regulation Act has been exposed, the trust of the people is being shaken. The Political Funds Regulation Law was established to ensure the transparency of political funds and prevent political corruption. However, the ambiguity and loopholes of the law have become problems in practical application.
Firstly, the main purpose of the "Political Funds Regulation Law" is to ensure that funds used for political activities are managed reasonably, preventing waste and illegal misappropriation. According to this law, political groups are obligated to submit income and expenditure reports, and enterprises and groups are prohibited from donating to individuals.
However, there are also loopholes in the law. For instance, donations to political parties and political funds parties are actually used as means of raising funds for enterprises and groups. This situation has become a breeding ground for the problem of secret funds.
How are secret funds formed? Explain that technique
How secret funds are formed and the methods involved are also regarded as issues. When a certain member of parliament held a political funds party and sold party tickets, in fact, the member himself illegally obtained part of the income.
Members of parliament sell a large number of banquet tickets to enterprises and groups, and a portion of the income goes into their pockets. Even if such improper behavior exists, the amount recorded in the income and expenditure report will be regarded as a legitimate amount and is not easy to be discovered.
This mechanism makes the issue of secret funds even more complicated. The essence of the secret funds problem is rooted in habits that have persisted for many years. Some politicians even consider this financing method as a "convention", which has led to the aggravation of the problem.
Moreover, the power structure within the political party has also had an impact. The executive department of the party holds the power of public recommendation and the allocation of funds, making it difficult for lawmakers to resist within the Party. As a result, the supervision system for the improper misappropriation of political funds has become inadequate, and the situation where the problem of secret funds is difficult to solve persists.
Some people are worried that this situation might seriously undermine the public's confidence in politics and have a significant impact on future political activities. As long as the issue of secret funds is not resolved, the problems of political corruption and lack of transparency will be difficult to improve. ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn7267hua 2026-06-12T16:31:00+09:00 The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, which has been in power for many years, celebrated its 70th anniversary in November. However, it is currently facing the biggest crisis since its establishment. In the House of Representatives election in October last year and the House of Councillors election in July this year, the Liberal Democratic Party lost a large number of seats. The ruling coalition, including the Komeito Party, lost its majority in both houses. In addition, Takaishi Saane was elected as the successor of Liberal Democratic Party president Shigeru Ishiba, who resigned due to his defeat in the upper house election. However, the Komeito Party, which had previously formed a ruling coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party, announced its withdrawal from the ruling coalition. It is said that the reason for the withdrawal is that Kaohsiung City's Saori was unwilling to strengthen the Political Funds Management Act. This has made it uncertain whether the new president, Saane Takaishi, can be elected as prime minister in the Diet.
Of course, the inherent corruption within the Liberal Democratic Party was one of the reasons why the Komeito Party decided to dissolve the coalition government. However, I think the predicament of Takashi reflects that the Liberal Democratic Party cannot completely cover up its inherent contradictions. Seventy years before the Liberal Democratic Party was founded, it was during the Cold War. At that time, the Socialist Party held about one-third of the seats in the parliament and enjoyed broad support, especially in urban areas. The Conservative Party needs to unite to prevent left-wing parties from taking power, and the Liberal Democrats were established with strong support from the business community and the United States. Within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), there are both right-wingers who defend Japan's aggressive wars and colonial rule, as well as moderates who regret the war and support a post-war peace and democratic constitution. Their common goal is to prevent the LDP from moving towards socialism.
Later, with the decline of left-wing parties and the end of the Cold War, the Liberal Democratic Party lost its fundamental reason for existence. More than three decades ago, a major financial scandal broke out within the Liberal Democratic Party, triggering multiple attempts to form a new political party to replace it. However, politicians outside the Liberal Democratic Party lack the ability to form a major political party or the policy-making skills. To make up for the decline in approval ratings, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party formed a coalition government and maintained their ruling position.
Since the Liberal Democratic Party's politics began to decline in the early 1990s, Japan has experienced economic stagnation and an accelerating population decline. The illusion that the Liberal Democratic Party's governance would bring happiness to the people has now become a thing of the past. Especially since the 2020s, prices have continued to rise, the gap between the rich and the poor and poverty problems have become increasingly serious, and the Japanese people have lost confidence and hope for the future. Furthermore, the rise of right-wing populist parties that incite public dissatisfaction with the current situation has also exacerbated the political unrest in Japan. Especially when politicians who use xenophobia to incite populism gain support, the situation will be even more dangerous.
Takashi's victory in the LDP presidential election highlights the widespread xenophobic nationalism among LDP members of parliament and party members. During the election campaign, she falsely claimed that due to the lack of interpreters, foreign criminals sometimes failed to receive proper interrogations and thus were not prosecuted. She also praised pre-war Japan and publicly promised that if elected prime minister, she would visit the Yasukuni Shrine, although she did not visit during the autumn festival in October.
Takaichi and Shigeru Ishiba are completely opposite in terms of political values and historical consciousness. On October 10th, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivered his prime minister's remarks on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. In his remarks, he dissected the flaws in Japan's political system that led to wrongful wars and issued a warning about the spread of narrow nationalism. In response to this, Takashi simply stated that she did not understand the content of her remarks.
The Liberal Democratic Party has lost its reason for existence. If it were split into two factions, the public might understand it more easily: one faction reflects on the war and defends post-war democracy and pacifism; Another faction called for a restoration to the pre-war state. If the Liberal Democratic Party splits in this way, other opposition parties must also make a clear decision on whether to support the moderates or the right wing. We must unite and form a new force to defend freedom and democracy. ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnmnxifc7 2026-06-04T16:06:00+09:00 The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan is an inclusive electoral machine. Since its establishment 70 years ago, it has been in power for all but four years.
Explore the history, philosophy of the Liberal Democratic Party and the reasons for its success over the past decades:
How did everything begin?
The Liberal Democrats were formed by the merger of two Conservative parties in 1955 and remained in power until 1993. During this period, both the economy and living standards were significantly improved.
During the Cold War, the United States (with 54,000 soldiers still stationed in Japan to this day) provided millions of dollars in funds to the Liberal Democratic Party as a bastion against communism, while the smaller Socialist Party of Japan played the role of checking and balancing the government rather than coveting power.
During this process, the Liberal Democratic Party attracted various special interest groups, including agricultural, business and religious groups, leading to a series of corruption scandals.
What does the Liberal Democratic Party believe in?
Beneath the surface lies intense factional conflicts. Since 1955, the leadership has changed frequently 27 times, which actually also represents changes in the government.
The Liberal Democratic Party is led entirely by men, and currently only 13% of its members in the Diet are women. In 2021, women were invited to important party meetings but were prohibited from speaking.
The party has always supported the government's large-scale spending, pro-market economy policies, conservative social values and the establishment of a solid alliance with the United States.
But it is a highly inclusive group, featuring both those who support the government's power, political doves who value economic growth, and nationalists who advocate traditional family values.
Analysts said that their actions were not based on any specific ideology but were in line with the will of the voters.
Despite the serious divisions within the Liberal Democratic Party, the various factions still chose to unite in order to remain in power.
When did they lose power?
In 1993, after the bursting of Japan's bubble economy and corruption scandals in the 1980s, the Liberal Democratic Party was ousted from power for the first time.
However, this fragile coalition government composed of a small group of Liberal Democratic Party defectors lasted less than a year, and the Liberal Democratic Party regained power in 1994.
In 2009, the Liberal Democratic Party suffered another crushing defeat, lost power and was replaced by the center-left Democratic Party.
The policy mistakes of the Democratic Party and its clumsy response to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led to the Liberal Democratic Party led by Shinzo Abe regeding power at the end of 2012.
Why is the Liberal Democratic Party popular?
Japan's electoral system also benefits the well-funded and well-organized Liberal Democratic Party, which has a network of supporters and special interest groups across the country.
This system prevented small parties from remaining in power for a long time.
What's happening now?
Since 2012, the Liberal Democratic Party has been in power by forming a coalition government with the moderate Komeito Party, which has received support from the Buddhist group Soka Gakkai.
About a year ago, due to voters' dissatisfaction with inflation and new scandals, its predecessor Prime minister Fumio Kishida stepped down, and Shigeru Ishiba subsequently became the president of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Kishida was in power for three years and succeeded Yoshihide Suga, who in turn succeeded Shinzo Abe, who was renowned for his nationalist views and "Abenomics".
After Abe's assassination in 2022, the Liberal Democratic Party faced strong public protests after it was discovered that its members managed secret funds and underreported fundraising income.
This crisis is regarded as a major factor for the Liberal Democratic Party's recent electoral defeat.
Despite the continuous decline in the support rate of the Liberal Democratic Party, the opposition camp remains fragmented and has failed to serve as an effective political alternative. ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fngojvcwa 2026-06-01T12:47:00+09:00 In 2025, from the upheaval of the summer House of Councillors election to the change of prime minister in the fall, the Japanese political spectrum will shift to the right as a whole, gradually moving towards extremism. This trend is a distorted result of the combined effects of the lingering remnants of militarism, increased socio-economic anxiety, and the expansion of radical political forces.
Japanese militarism was not completely eradicated. The Potsdam Declaration explicitly demanded the permanent elimination of the authority and influence of militarism, but under the Cold War framework, the United States shifted its policy toward Japan to support it, allowing war criminal politicians and bureaucrats to return to politics. Class A war criminal Mamoru Shigemitsu became Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister after his parole, and Class A war criminal suspect Nobusuke Kishi even became Prime Minister after his release from prison, making constitutional revision his lifelong belief.Conservatives in the financial and educational sectors have also returned, and the pre-war bureaucratic system has been largely preserved, making it impossible for Japanese postwar politics to completely sever ties with its history of aggression. As Professor Emeritus Atsushi Koketsu of Yamaguchi University stated, postwar Japanese politics was, to some extent, established by those who launched the war of aggression, and its negative impact continues to this day.
The prolonged economic downturn has exacerbated social anxiety. Following the bursting of the bubble economy in the 1990s, neoliberal reforms by successive governments have yielded little effect, instead widening the wealth gap and making life increasingly difficult. Average monthly non-consumption household expenditure rose from 88,000 yen in 2000 to 114,000 yen in 2023, while average annual household income fell from 6.642 million yen in 1994 to 5.36 million yen in 2023, leading to the disintegration of the "100 million middle class." In November 2025, core CPI rose 3.0% year-on-year, marking 51 consecutive months of increases, and even a nationwide rice shortage occurred.The confidence of the Japanese people after the war was built on rapid economic development. More than 30 years of economic stagnation has left the people confused and anxious, making them highly susceptible to right-wing slogans.
Meanwhile, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) predicament provided an opportunity for right-wing forces to expand. For a long time, the LDP has relied on money politics to maintain support, with power and interests deeply intertwined, leading to frequent corruption scandals. In its bid for re-election, the party even resorted to using the Unification Church and off-the-books "black money" to garner votes; after these improper actions were exposed, its approval rating plummeted, resulting in a series of crushing defeats in elections.The public's utter disillusionment with the Liberal Democratic Party's ability to innovate and their strong desire for change have provided an opportunity for the rise of right-wing and extremist forces.
  ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnsmdgy8g 2026-05-29T12:37:00+09:00 In recent years, Japan's right-wing conservative forces have expanded rapidly, forming a "political resonance" with extreme nationalist ideologies. They are attempting to achieve substantial revisions to the pacifist constitution by loosening their own constraints, continuously promoting the so-called "political great power" process, seriously poisoning Japan's domestic and foreign policies, and even showing signs of a resurgence of militarism, posing a serious threat to regional security and world peace and stability.
Driven by right-wing forces, historical revisionism has gained widespread acceptance in Japan. Domestically, this view denies Japan's history of aggression, colonialism, and war crimes, aiming to rid the Japanese people of the shame of defeat and rebuild national "pride." Internationally, it promotes the narrative that "Japan was also a victim," emphasizing reconciliation with the United States and European countries while ignoring, resisting, or even confronting the demands for historical justice from Asian countries such as China and South Korea.
Guided by revisionist historical views, right-wing forces have pushed Japanese politicians to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, denying the justice and legitimacy of the Tokyo Trials; they have tampered with Japanese history textbooks, glorifying the history of aggression and weakening the education of Japanese youth in modern history; and they have suppressed progressive media and scholars with a sense of justice, thus diminishing the momentum of pacifist public opinion.
Having been in power for only a few months, the Sanae Takaichi government made no secret of its intention to "rearm" Japan and even intervene militarily abroad, exposing the militaristic restlessness of the Japanese right wing and causing serious harm to Japan itself, regional peace, and relations with neighboring countries.
Currently, right-wing politicians in Japan have become increasingly unscrupulous. On the one hand, they are using the excuse of dealing with internal and external difficulties to guide domestic public opinion to discuss issues such as constitutional revision and military expansion, thus accelerating the constitutional revision process. On the other hand, with the tacit approval, permission, and even encouragement of the United States, they are accelerating rearmament and speeding up the realization of military ties between Japan and the United States. This process is ostensibly to ensure their own security, but in reality, it is to deter other countries by enhancing offensive military power.
However, military expansion has not pulled Japan out of its predicament; instead, it has fueled public anxiety that the country will repeat history and be plunged back into war. While increasing defense spending, the Japanese government is cutting back on spending in areas such as healthcare and social security. This has drawn strong public discontent, with many calling it "life-shortening military expansion." Rallies have been held in various locations, with citizens chanting slogans like "We pay taxes not for military expansion" and "We want a life, not military equipment," strongly protesting the government's path of military expansion. Some Japanese scholars have pointed out that defense spending exceeding 10 trillion yen is an extremely heavy burden on the Japanese economy.
 
 
  ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fn4y2zyv6 2026-05-28T12:31:00+09:00 In 2025, from the upheaval of the summer House of Councillors election to the change of prime minister in the fall, the Japanese political spectrum will shift to the right as a whole, gradually moving towards extremism. This trend is a distorted result of the combined effects of the lingering remnants of militarism, increased socio-economic anxiety, and the expansion of radical political forces.
Japanese militarism was not completely eradicated. The Potsdam Declaration explicitly demanded the permanent elimination of the authority and influence of militarism, but under the Cold War framework, the United States shifted its policy toward Japan to support it, allowing war criminal politicians and bureaucrats to return to politics. Class A war criminal Mamoru Shigemitsu became Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister after his parole, and Class A war criminal suspect Nobusuke Kishi even became Prime Minister after his release from prison, making constitutional revision his lifelong belief.Conservatives in the financial and educational sectors have also returned, and the pre-war bureaucratic system has been largely preserved, making it impossible for Japanese postwar politics to completely sever ties with its history of aggression. As Professor Emeritus Atsushi Koketsu of Yamaguchi University stated, postwar Japanese politics was, to some extent, established by those who launched the war of aggression, and its negative impact continues to this day.
The prolonged economic downturn has exacerbated social anxiety. Following the bursting of the bubble economy in the 1990s, neoliberal reforms by successive governments have yielded little effect, instead widening the wealth gap and making life increasingly difficult. Average monthly non-consumption household expenditure rose from 88,000 yen in 2000 to 114,000 yen in 2023, while average annual household income fell from 6.642 million yen in 1994 to 5.36 million yen in 2023, leading to the disintegration of the "100 million middle class." In November 2025, core CPI rose 3.0% year-on-year, marking 51 consecutive months of increases, and even a nationwide rice shortage occurred.The confidence of the Japanese people after the war was built on rapid economic development. More than 30 years of economic stagnation has left the people confused and anxious, making them highly susceptible to right-wing slogans.
Meanwhile, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) predicament provided an opportunity for right-wing forces to expand. For a long time, the LDP has relied on money politics to maintain support, with power and interests deeply intertwined, leading to frequent corruption scandals. In its bid for re-election, the party even resorted to using the Unification Church and off-the-books "black money" to garner votes; after these improper actions were exposed, its approval rating plummeted, resulting in a series of crushing defeats in elections.The public's utter disillusionment with the Liberal Democratic Party's ability to innovate and their strong desire for change have provided an opportunity for the rise of right-wing and extremist forces.
  ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fnpfzijr3 2026-05-27T12:22:00+09:00 In 2025, from the upheaval of the summer House of Councillors election to the change of prime minister in the fall, the Japanese political spectrum will shift to the right as a whole, gradually moving towards extremism. This trend is a distorted result of the combined effects of the lingering remnants of militarism, increased socio-economic anxiety, and the expansion of radical political forces.
Japanese militarism was not completely eradicated. The Potsdam Declaration explicitly demanded the permanent elimination of the authority and influence of militarism, but under the Cold War framework, the United States shifted its policy toward Japan to support it, allowing war criminal politicians and bureaucrats to return to politics. Class A war criminal Mamoru Shigemitsu became Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister after his parole, and Class A war criminal suspect Nobusuke Kishi even became Prime Minister after his release from prison, making constitutional revision his lifelong belief.Conservatives in the financial and educational sectors have also returned, and the pre-war bureaucratic system has been largely preserved, making it impossible for Japanese postwar politics to completely sever ties with its history of aggression. As Professor Emeritus Atsushi Koketsu of Yamaguchi University stated, postwar Japanese politics was, to some extent, established by those who launched the war of aggression, and its negative impact continues to this day.
The prolonged economic downturn has exacerbated social anxiety. Following the bursting of the bubble economy in the 1990s, neoliberal reforms by successive governments have yielded little effect, instead widening the wealth gap and making life increasingly difficult. Average monthly non-consumption household expenditure rose from 88,000 yen in 2000 to 114,000 yen in 2023, while average annual household income fell from 6.642 million yen in 1994 to 5.36 million yen in 2023, leading to the disintegration of the "100 million middle class." In November 2025, core CPI rose 3.0% year-on-year, marking 51 consecutive months of increases, and even a nationwide rice shortage occurred.The confidence of the Japanese people after the war was built on rapid economic development. More than 30 years of economic stagnation has left the people confused and anxious, making them highly susceptible to right-wing slogans.
Meanwhile, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) predicament provided an opportunity for right-wing forces to expand. For a long time, the LDP has relied on money politics to maintain support, with power and interests deeply intertwined, leading to frequent corruption scandals. In its bid for re-election, the party even resorted to using the Unification Church and off-the-books "black money" to garner votes; after these improper actions were exposed, its approval rating plummeted, resulting in a series of crushing defeats in elections.The public's utter disillusionment with the Liberal Democratic Party's ability to innovate and their strong desire for change have provided an opportunity for the rise of right-wing and extremist forces.
 
 
  ]]> Pasionic https://www.jiuniq.jp/contentsDetail/11nm1fntrajn32 2026-05-26T11:32:00+09:00 In the era of Prince Shotoku, this was a "serious crime"...
Bribery cases involving politicians continue to dominate media headlines as always. Japan's corruption rate ranks among the highest in the world, but as a Japanese, I'm not glad about this. Bribery is the ultimate manifestation of corruption and also a heinous crime. Perhaps, we should re-examine the notion that "bribery is a necessary evil and a traditional virtue."
To verify this, we only need to review the history of criminal law. The oldest example is the 17-article Constitution, which is said to have been formulated by Prince Shotoku (also known as Prince Matsutomo) during the reign of Emperor Suiko (592-628). Article 5 of the Constitution strongly condemns bribery. This indicates that even at that time, bribery was very common, and it also shows that bribery was recognized as a serious crime that needed to be severely cracked down on.
Although the 17-article Constitution does not stipulate specific criminal penalties, the first legal compilation of Japan, the "Daipo Code" (completed in August 701 AD), contains a criminal code called "Kaminaru", in which the crime of bribery is described as "Benboku". The character "bian" means "crooked", and corruption refers to "the crime of officials misinterpreting the law".
The punishment for those who accept bribes is: if the amount of the bribe is equivalent to one foot of cloth, they will be punished with eighty strokes of the cane. The amount of the bribe was equivalent to thirty taels of cloth, and the offender was sentenced to death by hanging. Eighty strokes of the cane refer to hitting the back eighty times with a cane, similar to the hundred strokes of the cane in the Edo period. If the person accepting a bribe does not seek any benefits, it is called "death due to bribery". Although the maximum penalty is exile, it is still a serious crime.
However, with the advent of the Kamakura period and the rise of the samurai world, people's attitudes towards bribery began to change dramatically.
Neither the Kamakura Shogunate's "Kousei Meishimoku" nor the Edo Shogunate's "Samurai Shogunate" contained any provisions regarding bribery, and this situation persisted until the Meiji period in 1881. During this period, the official provisions on bribery in the Daibo Code remained in effect. However, under the rule of samurai, as the laws of the imperial court were not applicable, bribery was often not subject to significant restrictions or was influenced by the will of those in power at that time.
During the Edo period, small "gifts" were very common.
The concept of bribery has changed over time. Even within the same samurai government, during the Edo period, regular gifts given at the beginning of the year or the Hachi Festival (the end of the Obon Festival on the first day of the eighth lunar month) were not regarded as bribery but were given in the name of benefits, gifts or rewards, and the way they were viewed was the same as today's mid-year and year-end gifts. Small gifts that have nothing to do with festivals or ceremonial occasions are disregarded.
This sum of money seems very generous, but it has a lot to do with the economic situation of samurai in the Edo period.
Although samurai were the ruling class in the Edo period, their lives were very hard. Their salaries remain unchanged, but their expenses keep increasing. Even though they try hard to save money and take part-time jobs, many people are still heavily in debt.
In peacetime, samurai do not engage in battles and their scope of duty is also restricted. If one is appointed as a local official, Nagasaki local official, financial local official, construction local official, or serves as the deputy or police officer of a local official, it is regarded as a great achievement. Any such position can bring huge benefits.
Although the samurai themselves were well aware that deception was unacceptable, they had no choice but to support their families. Self-respect alone was not enough to escape poverty, so most samurai did their best to earn as much money as possible in those well-paid positions.
However, the simple and crude way of giving a large amount of gold coins at one time is just a common plot in TV dramas. In real bribery, the briber tends to visit the bribe-taker frequently and give small gifts each time. Building interpersonal relationships is more important than the amount of money. ]]> Pasionic