The election of despair７： very bad political culture ５

＜　sinking Japan　＞

Last time, we looked at the election situation of Britain, Germany, and Greece.

The tendency of small political parties also proceeded on any country.

Especially in Greece, many small parties have increased as a result of the economic crisis at a breath.

This time I will explore root causes of the problem and this series is finished.

How is the U.S. that a two-party system can regard as functioning well?

Although the President was chosen from the Democratic Party, on the House of Representatives, the Republican Party gets a majority in the election two years ago.

As the result, as well as Japan, the President faced difficulties in controlling of the government.

As shown on the chart, the long-term decline in political party approval ratings suggests the situation.

As for the decrease of party supporters, the floating votes will make the Administration unstable like Japan.

 

＜　political party approval ratings in U.S.  red＝Republican Party、blue＝ Democratic Party、black＝political independents　＞

＜　transition of voter turnout in six nations　＞

What has occurred in the West and Japan?

All the voter turnouts of major nations are in a downward tendency.

                   

 

＜　reliability to the politics in six nations　＞

Although the level of voter turnouts and reliability is not correlated, it together is in a downward tendency.

Especially note that only Japan is remarkably low.

As we have already seen, the increase in small political party and independents is progressing in parallel to decline in voter turnout.

As history illustrates, the increase in small political party causes political confusion increasingly, and it will also make collapsing society at the end.

Then, why is the distrust in politics increasing?

The situation common to these major nations has the following problem.

1.        economic stagnation: Although Japan, the U.S. and Europe powerfully accomplished economic growth after the war, but the economic growth become slowdown tendency from the 1980s. The average economic growth rate fell from 9% to 0.8% in Japan, and from 4% to 1% in EU.

2.        increase of economic differentiation: Gini coefficient is an index which shows the complaint of distribution of income and property. As shown on the chart, it shows a long-term upward tendency on many advanced nations.

 

＜　Gini coefficient in each nations、it take from 0 to 1,0= omniparity, 1= complete inequality　>

Expansion of economic stagnation and economic differentiation will be based on stiffness of social economy.

Advanced nations repeated the bubble by large credit expansion and fiscal expenditure performed after the 80s.

Each time, the economic differentiation in their nations became wide and choice of the government was increasingly restricted by the budget deficit.

On the other hand, people probably are increasing dissatisfaction and uneasiness gradually.

The People expressed dissatisfaction by refusing the existing politics.

However, it does not become the solution.

Even so, why is a situation of Japan severe?

1.        political awareness is low:  The consciousness that citizens support the politics of their country is not still growing. In the Meiji Restoration, the citizens did not become the political leading role.  The enforcement of universal suffrage was also slow.

2.       National Traits (favor to inner group etc.): Japanese people accommodate themselves to circumference and avoid conspicuous action. Although this is good when the society is in a safe state, if it become in a state of high anxiety, the people will do selfish action suddenly. This causes the result that they depend on a forcing leader by the presence of small political parties.

                                                   

I think that the signs have appeared now.

Even if the economy become well once, the fearful end may be waiting, after economic bubble burst.

I do not know the policy that overcomes this situation.

Please you be careful.

Thank you for having read for a long time.