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GUEST: Miho Kim, Information Activist at the Oakland-based Research Support Organization and US coordinator of the Tokyo-Bay area based organization “Trans-Pacific Research & Action Institute for the Hisabetsu Nikkei

An opposition party member will be named the leader of Japan’s Upper House of Parliament for the first time in a special session tomorrow. The appointment will follow the shift in Japan’s political landscape following recent parliamentary elections on July 29th. Reigning Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democrat Party faced one of their worst political setbacks as the Democratic Party of Japan now dominates the Upper House. Despite plunging approval ratings, Prime Minister Abe and his ruling coalition continue to enjoy a political advantage in the Parliament’s more powerful Lower House. Nevertheless, the outcome of the elections may affect both Japan’s domestic and foreign policy agendas. The Democratic Party of Japan may redefine Japan’s support of Washington’s foreign policy objectives, if only slightly. The opposition party has pronounced its desire to reorient its international policies through the United Nations. The Democratic Party of Japan has also pledged to oppose the extension of the nation’s support of coalition forces in Afghanistan which expires this November. A proposed free trade agreement with Australia, which is unpopular in Japan’s rural sectors, now faces greater opposition in parliament.

For more information, email info@hisabetsunikkei.org.