Liberal Party (Japan, 1998)

The Liberal Party (自由党, Jiyū-tō) was a political party in Japan formed in 1998 by Ichirō Ozawa and Hirohisa Fujii. It is now defunct, having joined the Democratic Party of Japan in 2003.

Not to be confused with the Liberal Party (Japan, 1945), a predecessor of the Liberal Democratic Party, or the subsequently re-established left-liberal Liberal Party (Japan, 2016).
Liberal Party
自由党
Jiyūtō
FoundersIchirō Ozawa
Hirohisa Fujii
Founded1 January 1998
Dissolved26 September 2003
Split fromNew Frontier Party
Merged intoDemocratic Party of Japan
IdeologyLiberalism (Japanese)
Neoliberalism
Neoconservatism
Political positionCentre-right[1]
International affiliationLiberal International (observer)[2]
ColorsBlue

The Liberal Party were part of the Japanese liberal parties genealogy, neoliberal[3] and neoconservative.[4]

History

The Liberal Party was formed from remnants of the New Frontier Party after it dissolved in 1998. The party did do quite well for a new party, joining the opposition led by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and also including the New Kōmeitō, the Social Democratic Party and Japanese Communist Party, and thus helped contest elections against the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

In January 1999, it formed a coalition with the ruling LDP under Keizō Obuchi.[5] Takeshi Noda as Minister for Home Affairs became its only member in the realigned Obuchi cabinet, later replaced by Toshihiro Nikai as Minister of Transportation. Later that year, the New Kōmeitō joined the coalition as well, and party president Ichirō Ozawa decided to lead the Liberal Party back into the opposition as he saw his party's position endangered.[6] However, some members of the coalition wanted to stay in the government and eventually formed the breakaway New Conservative Party.[7]

In October 2003, because of the upcoming election, the Liberal Party finally merged with the DPJ[8] and all its members joined the new party, making an influential grouping within the party. The DPJ did tremendously well, and Hirohisa Fujii became the Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Japan, while Ichiro Ozawa led the Liberal Party faction within the DPJ. In 2016, the name was revived by Ozawa, on his renaming of the People's Life Party to the Liberal Party.

Presidents of LP
No. Name Image Term of office
Took office Left office
Preceding partiy: New Frontier Party
1 Ichirō Ozawa 1 January 1998 26 September 2003
Successor party: Democratic Party (1998)

Election results

House of Representatives
Election Leader Constituency Party list Total Position Status
Votes  % Seats Votes  % Seats
2000 Ichirō Ozawa 2,053,736 3.37
4 / 300
 6,589,490 11.01
18 / 180
22 / 480
 5th Opposition

House of Councillors
Election Leader Constituency Party list Seats Position Status
Votes  % Seats +/- Votes  % Seats +/- Election +/- Total +/-
1998 Ichirō Ozawa 980,249 1.75
1 / 76
 new 5,207,813 9.28
5 / 50
 new
6 / 126
 new
12 / 252
 Increase 6 5th Opposition
2001 3,011,787 5.54
2 / 73
 Increase 1 4,227,148 7.72
4 / 48
 Decrease 1
6 / 121
 Steady
8 / 247
 Decrease 4 5th Opposition

See also

References
  1. Jeff Kingston (2013). Japan in Transformation, 1945-2010. Routledge. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-317-86192-8.
  2. "Facts & Figures". liberal-international.org. Liberal International. Archived from the original on October 8, 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2020. Observer status 10. Jiyuto (Liberal Party)(Japan)
  3. Ian Neary, ed. (2019). The State and Politics In Japan. John Wiley & Sons.
  4. Igarashi, Jin [in Japanese]. "Jiyūtō towa" 自由党(じゆうとう)とは. kotobank.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  5. "Obuchi puts happy face on minority coalition launch". The Japan Times. 1999-01-14. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  6. "Liberal Party left in limbo after abandonment of bill". The Japan Times. 1999-12-15. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  7. "Noda faction names party Conservative". The Japan Times. 2000-04-04. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  8. "The Democratic Party of Japan". Democratic Party of Japan. 2006. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
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