Contemporary Democracy in a Parliamentary System

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Since recovering its independence in 1952, Japan has never experienced a change of government in a proper sense. Power has been held without interruption, first by the Liberal Party and then by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which was formed in 1955 when the Liberal and Democratic Parties merged. It is often said that there is no democracy without a change of government. Does this mean thatJapan has not yet established a democracy? I would not say so. No doubt the Japanese have succeeded in running their government in a democratic manner, at least compared to the prewar era. But democracy has different styles and qualities, and Japan has achieved a democracy that has never been tested by a transfer of power. A change of government has two implications for the quality of democracy. First, a change of government confirms the existence of democracy. There is no better proof that democracy exists than the fact that a change of government takes place following a free popular election. Second, popular belief in the possibility of a change of government, supported and strengthened by actual experience, enables the people to make a real choice. Where there is no significant chance of altering government, elections lose their meaning. The people are forced either to accept the existing government or embrace uncertainty by rejecting it. But rejecting the government in power while not being able to conceive of an alternative is a hard venture. Hard as it may be, however, rejection is possible. And if the people choose to retain their leaders, the government can rightfully boast of having popular support; government in accordance with popular will is evident. But in this age of advancing democracy, we cannot satisfy ourselves with this stage of democracy. We want a democracy of higher quality, one in which we are offered more than one feasible alternative and in which the casting of a vote means a direct choice of policy. This will become possible only when the transfer of power becomes a normal governmental process. Why has it been so difficult to change governments in Japan? This issue can be analyzed from various angles, but it should be pointed out that part of