The leader of the Opposition (Japan) is the leader of the main opposition party who is not in power, not to the official position established by law. As a result of the 2024 Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan presidential election, Japanese ex-PM Yoshihiko Noda became the leader of the Opposition.[1][2]
| Leader of the Opposition | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Term length | While leader of the largest political party in the House of Representatives that is not in government |
| Inaugural holder | Shigeru Yoshida |
| Formation | 1947 |
Overview
editUnder the 1955 System, the chairman of the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) served as the leader of the Opposition.[3] In particular, Takako Doi showed leadership as the first female opposition leader, and in the 1989 Japanese House of Councillors election, the JSP won a victory over the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the popular vote. This movement is called the Madonna Whirlwind because many female candidates won.[4][5]
After the collapse of the 1955 System, the leaders of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the DPJ succeeding parties have been the leaders of the Opposition.
In 2000, as part of political reform, the question time was introduced to the Diet of Japan, and the opposition leader's role as the Leader of the Opposition has increased.[6] In particular, at question Time in 2012, opposition leader Shinzo Abe, the President of the LDP, drew attention by making Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda promise to dissolve the House of Representatives. [7][8]
In the 2014 Japanese general election, Banri Kaieda failed to win seats in both the constituency and proportional representation block. The failure of the incumbent opposition leader was the first in 65 years since Tetsu Katayama's defeat in the 1949 Japanese general election and the first since the transition to a parallel voting system in 1994.[9][10]
List of Leaders of the Opposition (1947-present)
edit- Rep = Member of the House of Representatives
- Cou = Member of the House of Councillors
| Portrait | Name Electoral District |
Party | Term of Office | General Elections |
Ref | Government | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Duration | Party | Cabinet | Prime Minister | |||||||
|
Shigeru Yoshida Rep for Kōchi at-large (1878-1967) |
Liberal | 24 May 1947 | 15 October 1948 | 1 year, 145 days | ー | Socialist | Katayama | Tetsu Katayama | |||
| Democratic Liberal | ー | Democratic | Ashida | Hitoshi Ashida | ||||||||
|
Tetsu Katayama Rep for Kanagawa 3rd (1887-1978) |
Socialist | 15 October 1948 | 23 January 1949 | 93 days | 1949 | Democratic Liberal | Yoshida II | Shigeru Yoshida | |||
|
Takeru Inukai Rep for Okayama 2nd (1896-1960) |
Democratic | 23 January 1949 | 10 February 1950 | 1 year, 19 days | ー | Yoshida III | |||||
| Vacant 10 February 1950 - 28 April 1950 |
Liberal | |||||||||||
|
Gizo Tomabechi Rep for Aomori 1st (1880-1959) |
National Democratic | 28 April 1950 | 8 February 1952 | 1 year, 287 days | ー | ||||||
| Vacant 8 February 1952 - 13 June 1952 | ||||||||||||
|
Mamoru Shigemitsu Rep for Ōita 2nd (1887-1957) |
Kaishintō | 13 June 1952 | 24 November 1954 | 2 years, 165 days | 1952 | ||||||
| 1953 | Yoshida IV | |||||||||||
| ー | Yoshida V | |||||||||||
|
Ichirō Hatoyama Rep for Tokyo 1st (1883-1959) |
Japan Democratic | 24 November 1954 | 10 December 1954 | 17 days | ー | ||||||
|
Taketora Ogata Rep for Fukuoka 1st (1888-1956) |
Liberal | 10 December 1954 | 13 October 1955 | 308 days | 1955 | Japan Democratic | Hatoyama I | Ichirō Hatoyama | |||
| ー | Hatoyama II | |||||||||||
|
Mosaburō Suzuki Rep for Tokyo 3rd (1893-1970) |
Socialist | 13 October 1955 | 23 March 1960 | 4 years, 163 days | ー | ||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Hatoyama III | ||||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Ishibashi | Tanzan Ishibashi | |||||||||
| 1958 | Liberal Democratic | Kishi I | Nobusuke Kishi | |||||||||
| ー | Kishi II | |||||||||||
|
Inejirō Asanuma Rep for Tokyo 1st (1898-1960) |
Socialist | 23 March 1960 | 12 October 1960 | 204 days | ー | ||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Ikeda I | Hayato Ikeda | |||||||||
|
Saburō Eda (Acting) Cou for Okayama at-large (1907-1977) |
Socialist | 12 October 1960 | 6 March 1961 | 146 days | 1960 | ||||||
| ー | Ikeda II | |||||||||||
|
Jōtarō Kawakami Rep for Hyōgo 1st (1889-1965) |
Socialist | 6 March 1961 | 6 May 1965 | 4 years, 62 days | 1963 | ||||||
| ー | Ikeda III | |||||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Satō I | Eisaku Satō | |||||||||
|
Kōzō Sasaki Rep for Miyagi 1st (1900-1985) |
Socialist | 6 May 1965 | 19 August 1967 | 2 years, 106 days | 1967 | ||||||
| ー | Satō II | |||||||||||
|
Seiichi Katsumata Rep for Shizuoka 2nd (1908-1989) |
Socialist | 19 August 1967 | 4 October 1968 | 1 year, 47 days | ー | ||||||
| Vacant 4 October 1968 - 30 November 1968 | ||||||||||||
|
Tomomi Narita Rep for Kagawa 1st (1912-1979) |
Socialist | 30 November 1968 | 13 December 1977 | 9 years, 14 days | 1969 | ||||||
| ー | Satō III | |||||||||||
| 1972 | Liberal Democratic | Tanaka I | Kakuei Tanaka | |||||||||
| ー | Tanaka II | |||||||||||
| 1976 | Liberal Democratic | Miki | Takeo Miki | |||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Fukuda | Takeo Fukuda | |||||||||
|
Ichio Asukata Mayor of Yokohama ↓ Rep for Tokyo 1st (1915-1990) |
Socialist | 13 December 1977 | 7 September 1983 | 5 years, 269 days | ー | ||||||
| 1979 | Liberal Democratic | Ōhira I | Masayoshi Ōhira | |||||||||
| 1980 | Ōhira II | |||||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | ー | Masayoshi Ito Acting | |||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Suzuki | Zenkō Suzuki | |||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Nakasone I | Yasuhiro Nakasone | |||||||||
|
Masashi Ishibashi Rep for Nagasaki 2nd (1924-2019) |
Socialist | 7 September 1983 | 8 September 1986 | 3 years, 2 days | 1983 | ||||||
| 1986 | Nakasone II | |||||||||||
| ー | Nakasone III | |||||||||||
|
Takako Doi Rep for Hyōgo 2nd (1928-2014) |
Socialist | 8 September 1986 | 31 July 1991 | 4 years, 327 days | ー | ||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Uno | Sōsuke Uno | |||||||||
| 1990 | Liberal Democratic | Kaifu I | Toshiki Kaifu | |||||||||
| ー | Kaifu II | |||||||||||
| Makoto Tanabe Rep for Gunma 1st (1922-2015) |
Socialist | 31 July 1991 | 19 January 1993 | 1 year, 173 days | ー | |||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Miyazawa | Kiichi Miyazawa | |||||||||
|
Sadao Yamahana Rep for Tokyo 11th (1936-1999) |
Socialist | 19 January 1993 | 9 August 1993 | 203 days | 1993 | ||||||
|
Yōhei Kōno Rep for Kanagawa 5th (born 1937) |
Liberal Democratic | 9 August 1993 | 30 June 1994 | 326 days | ー | Japan New | Hosokawa | Morihiro Hosokawa | |||
| ー | Japan Renewal | Hata | Tsutomu Hata | |||||||||
|
Tsutomu Hata Rep for Nagano 2nd (1935-2017) |
Japan Renewal | 30 June 1994 | 10 December 1994 | 164 days | ー | Socialist | Murayama | Tomiichi Murayama | |||
|
Toshiki Kaifu Rep for Aichi 3rd (1931-2022) |
New Frontier | 10 December 1994 | 28 December 1995 | 1 year, 19 days | ー | ||||||
|
Ichirō Ozawa Rep for Iwate 2nd ↓ Rep for Iwate 4th (born 1942) |
New Frontier | 28 December 1995 | 31 December 1997 | 2 years, 4 days | ー | ||||||
| 1996 | Liberal Democratic | Hashimoto I | Ryutaro Hashimoto | |||||||||
| ー | Hashimoto II | |||||||||||
|
Naoto Kan Rep for Tokyo 18th (born 1946) |
Democratic | 31 December 1997 | 25 September 1999 | 1 year, 269 days | ー | ||||||
| Democratic | ー | |||||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Obuchi | Keizō Obuchi | |||||||||
|
Yukio Hatoyama Rep for Hokkaido 9th (born 1947) |
Democratic | 25 September 1999 | 10 December 2002 | 3 years, 77 days | ー | ||||||
| 2000 | Liberal Democratic | Mori I | Yoshirō Mori | |||||||||
| ー | Mori II | |||||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Koizumi I | Junichiro Koizumi | |||||||||
|
|
Naoto Kan Rep for Tokyo 18th (born 1946) |
Democratic | 10 December 2002 | 18 May 2004 | 1 year, 161 days | 2003 | ||||||
| ー | Koizumi II | |||||||||||
|
Katsuya Okada Rep for Mie 3rd (born 1953) |
Democratic | 18 May 2004 | 17 September 2005 | 1 year, 123 days | 2005 | ||||||
|
Seiji Maehara Rep for Kyoto 2nd (born 1962) |
Democratic | 17 September 2005 | 7 April 2006 | 203 days | ー | ||||||
| ー | Koizumi III | |||||||||||
|
|
Ichirō Ozawa Rep for Iwate 4th (born 1942) |
Democratic | 7 April 2006 | 16 May 2009 | 3 years, 40 days | ー | ||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Abe I | Shinzo Abe | |||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Fukuda | Yasuo Fukuda | |||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Asō | Tarō Asō | |||||||||
|
|
Yukio Hatoyama Rep for Hokkaido 9th (born 1947) |
Democratic | 16 May 2009 | 16 September 2009 | 124 days | 2009 | ||||||
|
Masatoshi Wakabayashi (Acting) Cou for Nagano at-large (1934-2023) |
Liberal Democratic | 16 September 2009 | 28 September 2009 | 13 days | ー | Democratic | Hatoyama | Yukio Hatoyama | |||
|
Sadakazu Tanigaki Rep for Kyoto 5th (born 1945) |
Liberal Democratic | 28 September 2009 | 26 September 2012 | 2 years, 365 days | ー | ||||||
| ー | Democratic | Kan | Naoto Kan | |||||||||
| ー | Democratic | Noda | Yoshihiko Noda | |||||||||
|
Shinzo Abe Rep for Yamaguchi 4th (1954-2022) |
Liberal Democratic | 26 September 2012 | 26 December 2012 | 92 days | 2012 | ||||||
|
Banri Kaieda Rep for Tokyo PR block (born 1949) |
Democratic | 26 December 2012 | 15 December 2014 | 1 year, 355 days | 2014 | Liberal Democratic | Abe II | Shinzo Abe | |||
| Vacant 15 December 2014 - 18 January 2015 |
Abe III | |||||||||||
|
Katsuya Okada Rep for Mie 3rd (born 1953) |
Democratic | 18 January 2015 | 15 September 2016 | 1 year, 242 days | ー | ||||||
| Democratic | ー | |||||||||||
|
Renhō Cou for Tokyo at-large (born 1967) |
Democratic | 18 September 2016 | 1 September 2017 | 352 days | ー | ||||||
.jpg)
|
Seiji Maehara Rep for Kyoto 2nd (born 1962) |
Democratic | 1 September 2017 | 22 October 2017 | 52 days | 2017 | ||||||
.jpg)
|
Yukio Edano Rep for Saitama 5th (born 1964) |
Former Constitutional Democratic |
22 October 2017 | 30 November 2021 | 4 years, 40 days | ー | Abe IV | |||||
| Constitutional Democratic | ー | |||||||||||
| ー | Liberal Democratic | Suga | Yoshihide Suga | |||||||||
| 2021 | Liberal Democratic | Kishida I | Fumio Kishida | |||||||||
| ー | Kishida II | |||||||||||
.png)
|
Kenta Izumi Rep for Kyoto 3rd (born 1974) |
Constitutional Democratic | 30 November 2021 | 23 September 2024 | 2 years, 299 days | ー | ||||||
| ー | Kishida II (Reshuffle I) | |||||||||||
| ー | Kishida II (Reshuffle II) | |||||||||||
|
|
Yoshihiko Noda Rep for Chiba 4th ↓ Rep for Chiba 14th (born 1957) |
Constitutional Democratic | 23 September 2024 | Incumbent | 53 days | ー | ||||||
| 2024 | Liberal Democratic | Ishiba I | Shigeru Ishiba | |||||||||
| ー | Ishiba II | |||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Japan's main opposition CDP picks Noda Yoshihiko as leader". NHK (in Japanese). 2024-09-23. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "Japan ex-PM Yoshihiko Noda elected main opposition leader". The Nikkei (in Japanese). 2024-09-23. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "戦後政治と政党" [postwar politics and political parties] (PDF). NHK (in Japanese). 2024-10-06. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "1989年 マドンナ旋風" [1989: The Madonna Whirlwind]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 2019-07-21. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "マドンナ旋風 自民沈む 「山が動いた」…８９年" [Madonna whirlwind, LDP sinking "Mountain moved"…89]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "党首討論とは" [What is the question time？]. NHK (in Japanese). 2024-10-06. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "第181回国会 国家基本政策委員会合同審査会" [181st Joint Review Committee of the National Basic Policy Committee of the Diet] (in Japanese). House of Representatives of Japan. 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "【アーカイブ】野田氏VS安倍氏、解散表明に至る党首討論のやりとり" [[Archive] Mr. Noda vs. Mr. Abe, exchange of party leader discussions leading up to announcement of dissolution]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 2022-01-01. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "民主・海江田氏が落選 代表辞任へ" [Kaieda lost his seat. He will resign the Leader of the DPJ.]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "民主・海江田代表「つらかったこと限りない」 辞任表明" ["There was no end to the pain.", Kaieda said. He resigned the Leader of the DPJ.]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2024-10-06.