One Party Democracy: Explaining the LDP’s Electoral Dominance in Japan

Two of the essential features of a democracy are free elections and political parties. Although frequent transitions of power between parties are common in most established democracies, one notable exception is Japan. Since its formation in 1955, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has dominated Japanese elections and politics and has ultimately shaped much of Japan’s modern history and government. With the notable exceptions of 1993-1994 and 2009-2012, the party has either been the majority party or the largest party in the governing coalition. The LDP is often described as a center-right party, although it is also accurate to describe it as a big tent party with numerous factions ranging from liberal-centrist to right-wing. While many dominant parties or one party-states exist in the world, Japan is unique in that the LDP’s electoral success has come entirely from democratically legitimate and free elections.