RISE OF THE NEW SUN Japan voter polls ahead As Japan goes for elections on Sunday, the country’s main Opposition party, Liberal of the 2012 elections Democratic Party (LDP), is set to win a landslide victory, according to opinion polls by Asahi Voter party preference three leading newspapers in Japan — Asahi, Yomiuri and Nikkei. If it happens, it will % pave the way for the comeback of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and hopefully end DPJ LDP Restoration 40 Japan’s political gridlock 30 Japan’s general elections Japan will hold elections for Parliament’s lower House on Sunday 20 House of 119 10 representatives Liberal Democratic (Shugiin) Party (LDP) 0
Results of the Jul Oct Sep Aug Dec 3 Nov 4 Nov Dec 11 Dec Nov 13 Nov 17 Nov 2009 general 21 19 Nov 26 Nov elections New Nikkei Voter party preference DPJ LDP Restoration % Komeito 40 308 Democratic Party 32 30 of Japan (DPJ) 480 Other 20 Total seats parties
10 Waiting in the wings
0 | The LDP likely to sweep the polls for stance on the territorial row with Oct the 480-seat lower House of China, a pro-nuclear power energy Sep Nov 19 Nov 29 Nov Parliament policy despite last year’s Fukushima Yomiuri Voter party preference disaster, and an easy monetary | Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s % DPJ LDP Restoration Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) may policy and big fiscal spending to end 40 win fewer than 70 seats. deflation and tame a strong yen | The new right-leaning Japan | Other than the tension with China, 30 Restoration Party might win fewer Abe’s focus will be to bolster the US than 50 seats alliance 20 | The LDP and its smaller ally, the New | Between 30 per cent and nearly 50 Komeito party, could garner the per cent of the voters were 10 two-third majority needed to break undecided just days before the through a policy deadlock election, the surveys showed 0 Jul Oct Sep | A handful of political parties, some of Aug Dec 3 Dec | LDP is expected to take a tough 5 Nov Dec 11 Nov 13 Nov 17 Nov them just weeks old, are contesting 18 Nov Nov 26
Japan’s Prime Ministers since 2000
Yoshiro Junichiro Shinzo Yasuo Taro Yukio Naoto Yoshihiko Mori Koizumi Abe Fukuda Aso Hatoyama Kan Noda Apr Apr Sep Sep Sep Sep Jun Aug Term as prime minister Economic 2000 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 2012 indicators 3 3 GDP 2 2 Quarter-on- 1 1 quarter % 0 0 change -1 -1 -2 -2 -3 -3 -4 -4
Current 6 6 account 5 5 balance 4 4 as % of GDP 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0
Public debt 240 240 as % of GDP 200 200 160 160 120 120 80 80 40 40 0 0
6 6 Jobless 6 6 as % of 5 5 45 45 labour force 34 34 23 23 12 12 01 01 0 0 Yen against 150 150 135150 135150 the dollar 120135 120135 105120 105120 10590 10590 7590 7590 6075 6075 60 60 CPI, core 3 3 23 23 nation wide, 12 12 01 01 year-on-year 0 0 % change -1 -1 -2-1 -2-1 -3-2 -3-2 -3 -3 Sources: World Bank, Japan’s Ministry of Finance, Thomson Reuters. Latest data for GDP is for Q3 2012, jobless and CPI are end Sep 2012