Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets reporters at the prime minister's office on July 25 after the meeting of leaders of ruling and opposition parties. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has declared, “I will not step down,” defying a growing chorus of voices within his own Liberal Democratic Party calling for his resignation following the LDP-Komeito coalition’s recent electoral defeat.

Ishiba is reportedly furious with lawmakers from the now-defunct LDP faction once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (1954-2022), many of whom are leading the charge for his ouster.

“Who dragged the LDP into such disrepair? All they ever think about is themselves,” he is said to have complained.

But if that’s truly how he feels, why didn’t he confront them earlier?

Within the ruling party, criticism has intensified in the wake of the electoral pasting, with some members saying, “It’s unacceptable that no one is taking responsibility.”

That’s a valid argument. But if so, why have they been turning a blind eye to their own role in downplaying scandals such as the unreported political funds accumulated by certain LDP factions and the party’s murky ties with the Unification Church, formally called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification?

Do they truly believe that simply replacing the party leader will resolve the deep-rooted issues it faces?

Opposition party leaders have also taken a hard line, declaring, “The public has delivered a vote of no confidence to the Ishiba Cabinet.”

But if that’s truly the case, why didn’t they introduce a no-confidence motion themselves much earlier? They certainly had ample opportunities to act.

It’s often said that politicians are a reflection of the people. We don’t expect them all to be model citizens or wise statesmen.

But if today’s Nagatacho—Japan’s political nerve center—is a mirror of ourselves, it’s hard not to sigh. The endless infighting and self-serving theatrics have left the public weary and disillusioned.

Politics, as political philosopher Masao Maruyama (1914-1996) once observed, drawing on the thoughts of Meiji Era (1868-1912) educator and writer Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835-1901), is ultimately “a choice between degrees of badness.”

Expecting the best from politics often ends in disappointment. In his essay “Seijiteki Handan” (On political judgment), Maruyama, a leading figure in postwar political thought, argued that what truly matters is choosing the path that is “even slightly less bad.”

The LDP will convene an informal meeting of its lawmakers from both houses of the Diet on July 28. What will be said there? We should watch closely and commit this cacophonous theater of self-interest to memory.

Democracy, though often winding, allows for self-correction. When we change, the reflection we see in the mirror will change as well.

—The Asahi Shimbun, July 28

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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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