Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa speaks at a news conference on Jan. 21, 1994. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Thirty years ago, Japan had a record cool summer due to prolonged rain and unseasonably low temperatures.

While the nation languished under a poor harvest and a recession, it also underwent a major political transition.

For the first time since its formation, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party failed to secure a majority in the Lower House election in July 1993.

On Aug. 9, 1993, an eight-party coalition government was formed under Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa.

"An era has ended, and I hereby proclaim the start of a new era that looks forward to the 21st century," Hosokawa said in his inaugural speech.

Re-reading his words, I recalled the atmosphere of that time.

In the world, the Cold War had ended in December 1991. And in Japan, the so-called 1955 system of de facto LDP domination had just come to an end. I sensed more changes had to be coming.

The Hosokawa Cabinet is remembered primarily for electoral reforms that resulted in the establishment of a combination of single-seat constituencies and proportional representation blocks for Lower House elections.

The traditional multiple-seat constituencies, where three to five representatives were elected, were blamed as a major cause of political corruption such as the Recruit Holdings insider trading scandal that surfaced in the late 1980s. 

Many thought that replacing them with single-seat constituencies would help advance the two-party system, which, in turn, should encourage more changes of government.

But the reality today is that there is no end to vote buying scandals during elections. And as for business-politics collusion, an LDP member of the Lower House resigned last week for allegedly taking a bribe from a wind farm operator.

Since the 1993 change of government, opposition parties have proven simply incapable of forming any united front, allowing the LDP to regain its political supremacy.

In this age of diversifying popular will, the two-party system just doesn't seem to cut it anymore.

In Britain, which follows the single-seat constituency system, changes are being sought by environmental protection advocates and others. A recent  poll found that 45 percent of respondents support a proportional representation system, outnumbering the 28 percent in favor of the current system.

The Hosokawa administration lasted only 263 days, thanks to constant infighting. The vague sense of changes coming to Japan, which I felt in that record-cool summer of 1993, was probably just a figment of my imagination.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 8

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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