ОСОБЛИВОСТІ РОЗВИТКУ ОПОЗИЦІЙНИХ ПАРТІЙ В ЯПОНСЬКІЙ ПАРТІЙНІЙ СИСТЕМІ НА СУЧАСНОМУ ЕТАПІ

Abstract

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the development of opposition parties in the context of transformation processes in the party system of Japan at the present stage. The author characterizes the peculiarities of the formation of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) after the reform of the electoral law and the establishment of a mixed electoral system in Japan in 1994. The author identifies the miscalculations of the DPJ's activities during the period of its stay in power, in particular, the causes and peculiarities of the development of centrifugal tendencies in the Democratic Party since 2017. The key factors of the success of the right-wing populist "Japan Reform Party" in the 2012 House of Representatives elections are outlined. It is concluded that one of the main reasons for the divergence in the political programs of the leading parties is the attitude to the pacifist Article 9 of the Constitution. Based on the analysis of the results of the elections to the lower house of parliament in 2017 and 2021, and to the upper house of parliament in 2019 and 2022, the election manifestos of the main political forces are characterized. Attention is focused on the phenomenon of the electoral coalition, which was formed by the left-wing opposition forces. The author concludes that the modern Japanese opposition is characterized by the absence of any basis for cooperation between the right and left poles of the opposition forces. The author outlines, on the one hand, the prospects for the potential formation of a temporary coalition between the ruling bloc and the right-wing opposition center to pass certain bills, including constitutional amendments, and, on the other hand, the impossibility of consolidating the left-wing center of the opposition in the near future. Key words: party system, party, elections, opposition party, right-wing populism.