I thought that the history of postwar Japan could be grasped by looking at the flow of political history, so I wrote about postwar Japanese politics. Last time, I wrote about the five postwar era classifications and the political history up to the return of Okinawa.
This time, I would like to write about the political history from the Kakuei Tanaka Cabinet to just before Heisei.
Cabinet of Kakuei Tanaka, a rare politician [1972-1974]
Kakuei Tanaka Overcrowding / Depopulation / Environmental Destruction / Pollution brought about by rapid high growth Aiming for a prosperous country by eliminating [ Japanese archipelago remodeling theory ] Was presented to the public. In this Tanaka Cabinet, normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China and solidification of the foundation of the welfare state There is a feature to do such things.
On the diplomatic side, normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China Was the most important issue. In August 1972, we met with US President Nixon and British Prime Minister Heath in September, exchanged views on the Japan-China rehabilitation, and proceeded with advance adjustments.
And September 25, 1972 Foreign Minister Ohira and Foreign Minister visited Beijing, and Chairman Mao Zedong and Prime Minister Zhou Enlai On the 29th, we signed a joint statement between Japan and China, ending the bad relationship between Japan and China since the Manchurian Incident.
In laying the foundation for the welfare state, 1973 [ Welfare first year budget ] Was organized, and a large tax reduction was carried out mainly for office workers. On the other hand, we increased the social security budget by 28% or more, raised the welfare pension by 50%, increased the welfare pension, and realized the 50,000 yen pension of the contribution system national pension.
The following 1974 In terms of the budget, we have reformed the pension system by reducing taxes by 2 trillion yen, increasing the social security-related budget to 38% or more, and adopting a price slide system such as the welfare pension.
However, immediately after the second Kakuei Tanaka reshuffle cabinet, the Tanaka gold vein problem Became clear, and I resigned in just 15 days after the cabinet reshuffle.
From Takeo Miki Cabinet to Zenko Suzuki Cabinet [1974-1982]
In politics around this time, after the discovery of the gold vein problem of Kakuei Tanaka, the problems of politics and money became apparent, the political distrust of the people increased, and the regulation of political donations should be strengthened by amending the Political Funds Control Law. Will be.
In the world, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the Cold War composition was completed, and strengthening US-Japan relations was a diplomatic priority.
Takeo Miki Cabinet
Kakuei Tanaka received a total resignation due to the gold vein problem, Takeo Miki Became Prime Minister.
Following the resignation of the former Prime Minister for politics and money, Miki [ clean politics ], And I was in charge of that job. As a policy, Political Funds Control Act Political donation regulation tightening of corporate groups, etc. However, there was a strong opposition from within the party because the scalpel would be included in the funds from the political base within the LDP.
Miki himself was seeking to completely abolish political contributions, but the opposition within the party was strong and it was settled by setting an upper limit on the amount of political contributions of individuals and companies. With this bill, it has become more difficult to collect political funds than before, and political fund parties have developed and more sophisticated techniques have emerged.
Takeo Fukuda Cabinet
1976 In the meantime, the Liberal Democratic Party fell into a situation where the majority of the seats were broken in the general election.
It was Takeo Fukuda who became the president in such a situation. was.
In this cabinet, 1977 Received the world's best home run record by Sadaharu Oh, and founded the National Honor Award In 1978, Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty Was tied.
Initially, Fukuda decided to hand over the president to Masayoshi Ohira in two years, but [ the world wants Fukuda . ] And refused to transfer the administration, and was in a single combat with Ohira to be re-elected as president, but lost by a large margin and resigned.
Takeo Fukuda was the only incumbent president to lose in the presidential election.
Masayoshi Ohira Cabinet
According to the domestic policy carried out by the Ohira Cabinet, the Garden City Concept In diplomacy, Pacific Rim Solidarity Initiative and Comprehensive Security Initiative And so on. 1979 In the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan [ New Cold War ], And Japan is the first in Japan to strengthen cooperation between Japan and the United States [ ally ] I used the keyword.
1980 Boycotted the Moscow Olympics in Japan, clarified the line of cooperation with the United States [as a member of the Western camp], and succeeded to the later Cabinet of Yasuhiro Nakasone.
Suzuki Cabinet
May 1980 In addition, Masayoshi Ohira Cabinet no confidence vote submitted by the Socialist Party Was issued, and a vote of no confidence was passed because many LDP anti-Ohira factions were absent. In response to this, Ohira disbanded the House of Representatives [ Happening Dissolution ] However, Ohira died suddenly during the general election, but the result of the election ends with an overwhelming victory of the LDP.
In the subsequent presidential election, the anti-mainstream faction did not propose a presidential candidate, so he was an executive of the Ohira faction Zenko Suzuki . Became the president and prime minister. Suzuki was the president of the Liberal Democratic Party, who has been with the Japan Socialist Party since Tetsu Katayama.
We will continue to rebuild our finances without raising taxes, but we will be criticized and will resign in the middle of our career. However, the policy of the Suzuki Cabinet will be inherited by the Yasuhiro Nakasone Cabinet.
Yasuhiro Nakasone Cabinet of long-term government [1982-1987]
Yasuhiro Nakasone, who died in 2019 with a longevity of 101 years old, embarked on various reforms when he became Prime Minister in 1982. He has made many achievements during his tenure of 1806 days.
The inauguration of the government was at the mercy of Kakuei Tanaka, who was still influential, but when Kakuei Tanaka collapsed in 1985, he held a general election aiming for a single LDP government, won overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives and the House of Representatives, and won 300 seats in the House of Representatives. I won the largest seat after the war.
With the Thatcher administration in the United Kingdom and the Reagan administration in the United States [ small government ], We recommended administrative reforms such as large-scale tax cuts and privatization of the three public corporations.
As a result, JNR / Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation / Tobacco Exclusive Corporation Has been privatized and JR / NTT / JT The big company that you are familiar with now is born.
In diplomacy, the relationship between Japan and the United States was in the worst condition, but the relationship between Japan and the United States became intimate by visiting the United States as a souvenir to solve the problem of the increase in defense spending and the provision of weapons technology to the United States, which the United States was obsessed with. I will go.
In addition, it abandoned the policy of keeping the budgeted amount of defense spending within 1% of Japan's gross national product (GNP), and switched to a long-term plan to specify the total amount of defense spending as a new restraint on rapid arms race. did. This decision allowed the Government of Japan to formulate more aggressive defense policies and further strengthened its cooperation with the US military.
However, in the 1983 general election of the House of Representatives, the LDP could not take the majority, and the New Liberal Club Coalition Cabinet with Will be born ...
The turmoil of the LDP government and the collapse of the 1955 system
The Nakasone Cabinet submitted a consumption tax bill, but it was abolished, and the Nakasone Cabinet resigned by appointing a successor president. The next prime minister was the creator of the consumption tax . , Noboru Takeshita was.
Noboru Takeshita Cabinet and Corruption Case of Consumption Tax Introduction
1989 The Takeshita Cabinet has introduced a consumption tax in Japan, but politicians, bureaucrats, and industry cohesion Became brighter one after another, Noboru Takeshita Recruit scandal So, Lockheed scandal Then Kakuei Tanaka Was arrested and prosecuted, but was dismissed due to the death of his accused.
Recruit scandal Then, in the case where the chairman of Recruit transferred the undisclosed shares of the subsidiary to a powerful person such as a politician at a low price, Takao Fujinami, the former Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, was indicted, and the corruption structure of the government official was revealed, and the Takeshita Cabinet announced. It caused the collapse.
In the 1990s, Tokyo Sagawa Express Incident, General Contractor Corruption Incident In the case of Tokyo Sagawa Express, the chairman and others distributed political contributions to the political world, and Shin Kanemaru The Liberal Democratic Party Vice President and others were indicted. In addition, a major general contractor company called a general contractor discovered a general contractor corruption case in which a black donation was made to attract and make a successful bid for a public project, and Kishiro Nakamura, the former Minister of Construction, was indicted and convicted.
Meanwhile, from Noboru Takeshita Sosuke Uno Although the prime minister changed to, the Uno Cabinet became a short-lived cabinet of only two months.
The Toshiki Kaifu administration, which was a long-term administration when it was over
1989-1991 When the Toshiki Kaifu Cabinet was established, the economy was good in the midst of the bubble economy, but it was a time when the people's political distrust was growing due to a series of corruption cases. In the previous Upper House election, it was a twisted Diet because it was defeated.
In diplomacy, 1989 Gulf War And provided $ 13 billion in funding to the multinational forces. Regarding this measure, the right wing said, " Only money and no people " Similar non-international contribution " One-country pacifism ", And the left wing said," American obedience and contributed waste money . It was criticized by intellectuals on the left and right, such as being criticized.
After the end of the war, the Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweeping unit, which was the first overseas practice since the establishment of the Self-Defense Forces, was dispatched to the Persian Gulf.
However, the Takeshita faction and the Ozawa faction that backed up Kaifu broke away . This closed the way for the presidential candidate, November 5, 1991 . Kaibe resigned from the Prime Minister. The Kaifu administration was tied up by the Takeshita faction and did not manage the administration as expected, but there was no decisive mismanagement, and his clean and refreshing image continued to gain the support of the people. ..
His cabinet approval rating was 64% at high times and exceeded 50% even just before his retirement, and the number of days he has been in office 818 days During that time, it was the longest record for the prime minister of the Cabinet, whose resolution of no confidence in the Cabinet was not passed by the House of Representatives under the Constitution of Japan.
The Liberal Democratic Party goes to the opposition! !! Inauguration of Morihiro Hosokawa Cabinet
1991-1993 Kiichi Miyazawa Cabinet Then, PKO Cooperation Law Was established, and the Self-Defense Forces were dispatched to Cambodia. However, the Sagawa Express problem and general computer corruption mentioned earlier in 1992. In June 1993, a vote of no confidence in the Cabinet of Kiichi Miyazawa was passed and the House of Representatives was dissolved, as political corruption of LDP members was discovered one after another.
Masayoshi Takemura and others who left the Liberal Democratic Party due to the dissolution of the party said, " New Party Sakigake "Making, Tsutomu Hata, Ichiro Ozawa The group is " Japan Renewal Party Was formed. In the general election of the House of Representatives, " Plutocracy " Political Reform As a result, the Liberal Democratic Party was defeated with a majority.
To the Hosokawa coalition government consisting of non-Liberal Democrats and communists ...
August 1993 , Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa Japan New Party to which Besides, Socialist Party, Japan Renewal Party, Komeito Party, New Party Sakigake The Hosokawa Cabinet, which consists of eight parties, was established. As a result, the LDP's one-party superiority system that has continued for 38 years since 1955 [ 1955 system ] Has collapsed, and we are entering an era of unstable coalition government.
Even in the Hosokawa Cabinet, 1994 Political Funds Control Act Has been amended to ban donations to individual politicians. In addition, the Hosokawa administration has enacted a political party subsidy law and has begun to subsidize political funds of political parties at public expense.
The Hosokawa administration put a scalpel into the problems of politics and money, but in 1994 Prime Minister Hosokawa was suspected of borrowing 100 million yen . Hosokawa Cabinet resigned. After all it was a matter of money.
1994- Hata Cabinet However, although the non-LDP coalition government continued, the ruling party was Japan Renewal Party / Japan New Party . 5 parties such as Socialist Party Has withdrawn from the coalition, and the Socialist Party has agreed with the cabinet distrust proposal submitted by the Liberal Democratic Party, and the Hata Cabinet has decided to resign.
The Prime Minister is born from the Socialist Party! Murayama Tomiichi Cabinet
1994 In addition, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Socialist Party have been paired for many years. To form a system of equations!
Then, in June 1994 after the election of the Prime Minister, Murayama Tomiichi Cabinet from the Socialist Party Will be launched.
[ Ruling Party =Socialist Party, Liberal Democratic Party, New Party Sakigake ]
This time is January 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Happened, March Subway Sarin Incident Happened, June Hakodate Hijacking Incident There are a series of unfortunate incidents such as.
However, January 5, 1996 Will announce the sudden resignation of the prime minister. Regarding the background, it is said that the relationship with General Secretary Kubo in the Socialist Party has deteriorated, there is concern about surviving the Diet due to the issue of Jyusen, and there are concerns about the problem of using the U.S. military base in Okinawa, but it is not clear. Hmm.
After announcing his resignation, at the company's administration talks, LDP President Ryutaro Hashimoto The Hashimoto coalition government was inaugurated after resigning from the Cabinet on the 11th.
Resurrection of the LDP government! Ryutaro Hashimoto Cabinet
Initially, Liberal Democratic Party / Socialist Party / New Party Sakigake By coalition government However, after that, it became the sole government of the Liberal Democratic Party. The Hashimoto Cabinet advocated administrative and financial reforms, and in 1997 the Financial Structural Reform Act Was established.
There was a big move in politics during this time.
January 1996 Socialist Party changed its name to Social Democratic Party (Social Democratic Party) And September Yukio Hatoyama / Naoto Kan Former Democratic Party launched it was done. April 1998 Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, Social Democratic Party, Communist Party And Democratic Party Has been reorganized.
Under the Hashimoto administration, 1997 Consumption tax increase, health insurance out-of-pocket rate increase, special tax reduction abolished Due to the effects of austerity and the financial recession totaling about 10 trillion yen, nominal GDP shrank by about 10 trillion yen to 503 trillion yen, down 2% from the previous year, during the serious employment glacial period. The result is that the deflationary economy is widespread.
1998 Taking responsibility for the defeat of the House of Councilors election, the Hashimoto Cabinet will resign entirely and lead to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi of Heisei Ojisan ...
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