The DPJ Roils in Dissatisfaction

Party needs a democratic revolution from within

I went to find out for myself what's going on within the Democratic Party of Japan. Simply put, the party is convulsed with dissatisfaction. It's no exaggeration to say it's like the moment before a bomb explodes.

The basis for this dissatisfaction is that there's no freedom to discuss or debate ideas. One veteran DPJ lawmaker told me: "The DPJ has screwed up its rise to power. There was no planning before we took over the government. It was clear we wouldn't succeed. When we should have been confronting the LDP government with everything we had, we didn't do it. The DPJ blew it."

A midlevel DPJ Diet member had this to say: "There's no place within the party to say anything. Why did they abolish the Policy Affairs Research Council? I don't get it. We can't discuss policy matters within the party."

Everything is decided by DPJ Secretary-General Ichiro Ozawa. The rest of the party is supposed to fall in line. That's Ozawa's dictatorial system. For many Diet members, it's becoming too much to bear.

The DPJ needs to ignite a revolution from within.