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Originally Posted by risingstar3110
Question about Japan politics (i avoid the word "political culture" because mod may shift my post into culture thread D: )
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But it does belong there, really, since this is essentially a question of cultural attitudes towards politicians.
Quote:
Originally Posted by risingstar3110
I mean probably (actually definitely) some of us would consider that politics are quite dirty business with politicians are lying bastards that can't wait to vote on which sheep gonna be for dinner. But what's about Japan's general public opinion on politics?
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It's probably not very different from that of people in most other countries: Indifference at best, disgust and extreme cynicism at worst.
Politicians in Japan generally have a very cushy job. The real work of governing is actually done by the civil servants, with the politician being no more than a glorified rubber stamp. For the most part, it seems, the politicians pander to various business interests in his constituency, a development that contributed directly to the "concretisation" of much of Japan's natural environment with wasteful public works. In short, Japanese pork-barrel politics at times make the American version look like child's play. The American politician at least faced the real prospect of being booted out of office — Japanese politicians, especially those of the LDP over most of the past 50 years, could typically count on staying in office until they deigned to step down.
So... given such realities, how do you think ordinary Japanese would regard their politicians, notwithstanding the recent farcical state of affairs in Tokyo?
Still, like in any other country, much will probably depend on who exactly you ask. From what I recall, rural Japanese have overwhelmingly disproportionate voting power versus those who live in urban areas. That makes it important for political parties to treat them very well, in order to secure power. So, I wouldn't be surprised to find farming communities and small businesses to be generally more supportive of their local politicians.