Many, including myself, loosely use expressions like left-leaning and center-right, but the baseline for Japanese politics lies on a separate plane of existence. For example, there is essentially no ideological debate on the role of government in society (i.e. whether limited or proactive government is preferable), which is one of the core wedge themes in US politics. The ostensibly right-leaning LDP has never met a fiscal stimulus bill it doesn't like. Debate over defense policy used to be more philosophical but is now driven more by practical considerations, like the extent of the threat posed by China. There are divisions over certain social issues, like immigration and Japan's horribly outdated requirement that wives adopt their husbands' surnames, but topics that dominate American discourse like abortion and LGBT rights are rarely if ever discussed (though LGBT issues are somewhat gaining traction). Policy that originates from ministries, which heavily influence the LDP's agenda, is brutally pragmatic and rarely tinted by ideology.
Describing the LDP as center-right is not necessarily inaccurate, but party is more of a big tent like the Hawaii Democratic Party (which perhaps not by coincidence used to be dominated by Japanese Americans). Basically, anyone who wants to influence Japanese politics joins the LDP, regardless of their ideology. The result: a party with bigoted bullies like Mio Sugita and progressive adjacents like Arfiya Eri, an ethnic Uighur and former UN operative vocal on gender equality and human rights.
Many, including myself, loosely use expressions like left-leaning and center-right, but the baseline for Japanese politics lies on a separate plane of existence. For example, there is essentially no ideological debate on the role of government in society (i.e. whether limited or proactive government is preferable), which is one of the core wedge themes in US politics. The ostensibly right-leaning LDP has never met a fiscal stimulus bill it doesn't like. Debate over defense policy used to be more philosophical but is now driven more by practical considerations, like the extent of the threat posed by China. There are divisions over certain social issues, like immigration and Japan's horribly outdated requirement that wives adopt their husbands' surnames, but topics that dominate American discourse like abortion and LGBT rights are rarely if ever discussed (though LGBT issues are somewhat gaining traction). Policy that originates from ministries, which heavily influence the LDP's agenda, is brutally pragmatic and rarely tinted by ideology.
Describing the LDP as center-right is not necessarily inaccurate, but party is more of a big tent like the Hawaii Democratic Party (which perhaps not by coincidence used to be dominated by Japanese Americans). Basically, anyone who wants to influence Japanese politics joins the LDP, regardless of their ideology. The result: a party with bigoted bullies like Mio Sugita and progressive adjacents like Arfiya Eri, an ethnic Uighur and former UN operative vocal on gender equality and human rights.