Japan's turn to nationalism? Not quite

Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party may have scored a thumping win in Japan's half-upper house election on Sunday, but this will not translate into carte blanche for Abe's agenda. Pundits have been quick to assume that a majority for the LDP-Komeito coalition in both houses of parliament will see Abe rush to implement his nationalist program of constitutional revision and a more muscular defence platform. But Abe's win carries a democratic deficit that will constrain his nationalist ardour. The numbers go against Abe in several respects. The voter turnout of 52.61% is the third lowest in postwar history. Confronted with the reality of only one viable political force to support, close to half of the eligible electorate did not bother to go to the polls. Unaffiliated voters conveyed a message too: among the 20.3% of people who declared no loyalty to any political group, 25% cast their vote for the LDP-Komeito coalition, but over 13% chose the Japan Communist Party instead. In the eyes of swinging voters, given that the Democratic Party of Japan continues to suffer electoral disdain for its ineptitude in government, the JCP is now the only identifiable entity that serves as a clear opposition to the ruling party.