Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP; Japanese: 自由民主党, romanized: Jiyū-Minshutō), also known as Jimintō (自民党), is a major conservative and nationalist political party in Japan. Since its foundation in 1955, the LDP has been in power almost continuously—a period known as the 1955 System—except from 1993 to 1996, and again from 2009 to 2012. Sanae Takaichi has served as president of the LDP since 4 October 2025. She heads a coalition government with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) since 21 October 2025. The LDP was formed in 1955 as a merger of two conservative parties, the Liberal Party and the Japan Democratic Party as a united front against the Japan Socialist Party, and was initially led by prime minister Ichirō Hatoyama. The LDP supported Japan's alliance with the United States and fostered close links between Japanese business and government, playing a major role in the Japanese economic miracle from the 1960s to early 1970s and subsequent stability under prime ministers including Hayato Ikeda, Eisaku Satō, Kakuei Tanaka, Takeo Fukuda, and Yasuhiro Nakasone. Scandals and the burst of the Japanese asset price bubble led to the LDP losing power in 1993 and 1994, and governing under a non-LDP prime minister from 1994 before regaining power in 1996. In 1999, the party led the LDP–Komeito coalition, which lasted for the next 26 years. The LDP regained stability during the premiership of Junichiro Koizumi in the 2000s, gaining significant amount of seats in 2005, before achieving its worst-ever electoral result in 2009, where the Democratic Party of Japan gained a majority. In 2012, the party under Shinzo Abe regained control of the government with a landslide victory, although it lost seats in subsequent elections. Since 2017, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) has been its primary opponent in national politics. After the 2024 and 2025 elections, the LDP lost its majority in both houses of the National Diet, and its coalition with Komeito broke down, leading it to form the LDP–JIP coalition. Led by Takaichi, the party regained a majority in the House of Representatives, winning the biggest number of seats in Japanese electoral history in 2026, holding 316 seats in the House of Representatives and 101 seats in the House of Councillors. The LDP is often described as a big tent conservative party, including factions that range from moderate conservatism to far-right and ultraconservative. Although lacking a cohesive political ideology, the party's platform has historically supported increased defense spending, revising Article 9 of the Constitution to codify the status of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, maintaining close ties with the United States and since the 21st century also pursuing close relations with its Indo-Pacific allies to counter the rise of China as a superpower. The party's history and internal composition has been characterized by intense factionalism among its members since its emergence in 1955. History Beginnings The LDP was formed in 1955, a result of a merger between two of Japan's political parties, the Liberal Party (led by Taketora Ogata) and the Japan Democratic Party (led by Ichirō Hatoyama), both conservative parties, as a united front against the then popular Japan Socialist Party, now the Social Democratic Party. The party won the following elections, and Japan's first conservative government with a majority was formed by 1955. It would hold majority government until 1993. The LDP began with reforming Japan's international relations, ranging from entry into the United Nations to establishing diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union. Its leaders in the 1950s also made the LDP the main government party, and in all the elections of the 1950s, the LDP won the majority vote, with the only other opposition coming from left-wing politics, made up of the Japan Socialist Party and the Japanese Communist Party. From the 1950s to the early 1970s, the United States Central Intelligence Agency spent millions of dollars to aid the LDP against leftist parties such as the Socialists and the Communists, although this was not revealed until the mid-1990s when it was exposed by The New York Times. Details remain classified, while available documents show connections to prime ministers Nobusuke Kishi and Eisaku Satō. 1960s to 1990s For the majority of the 1960s, the LDP and Japan were led by Eisaku Satō, beginning with the hosting of the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and ending in 1972 with Japanese neutrality in the Vietnam War and with the beginning of the Japanese asset price bubble. By the end of the 1970s, the LDP went into its decline, where even though it held the reins of government many scandals plagued the party, while the opposition (now joined with Kōmeitō) gained momentum. In 1976, in the wake of the Lockheed bribery scandals, a handful of younger LDP National Diet members broke away and established their own party, the New Liberal Club (Shin Jiyu Kurabu). A decade later, it was reabsorbed by the LDP. By the late 1970s, the Japan Socialist Party, the Japanese Communist Party, and Komeito along with the international community used major pressure to have Japan switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan (Republic of China) to the People's Republic of China. In 1983, the LDP was a founding member of the International Democracy Union. In the same year, the party lost a significant amount of seats in the 1983 general election. It won the 1986 general election by a landslide, gaining 300 seats, However, the LDP started to suffer setbacks in elections by the end of the 1980s, mainly due to unpopular policies on trade liberalisation and tax, as well as a scandal involving their leader Sōsuke Uno and the Recruit scandal. In the 1989 House of Councillors election, the party lost its majority in the House of Councillors for the first time in 34 years. Out of power The LDP managed to hold on to power in 1990 general election despite some losses. In June 1993, 10 members of the party's liberal-conservative faction split to form the parties. The end of the postwar miracle economy, the Japanese asset price bubble and other reasons such as the recruit scandal led to the LDP losing its majority in 1993 Japanese general election held on 18 July. Seven opposition parties, including several formed by LDP dissidents, formed the Hosokawa Cabinet headed by Japan New Party leader and LDP dissident Morihiro Hosokawa, who became the prime minister preceded by Kiichi Miyazawa; however, the LDP was still far and away the largest party in the House of Representatives, with well over 200 seats; no other individual party crossed the 80-seat mark. Yōhei Kōno became the president of the LDP preceded by Kiichi Miyazawa, he was the first non-prime minister LDP leader as the leader of the opposition. In 1994, the Japan Socialist Party and the parties left the ruling coalition, joining the LDP in the opposition. The remaining members of the coalition tried to stay in power as the minority Hata cabinet under the leadership of Tsutomu Hata, but this failed when the LDP and the Socialists, bitter rivals for 40 years, formed a majority coalition. The Murayama cabinet was dominated by the LDP, but it allowed Socialist Tomiichi Murayama to occupy the Prime Minister's chair until 1996 when the LDP's Ryutaro Hashimoto took over. 1996–2009 In the 1996 general election, the LDP made some gains but was still 12 seats short of a majority. However, no other party could possibly form a government, and Hashimoto formed a solidly LDP minority government. Through a series of floor-crossings, the LDP regained its majority within a year. In October 1999, it formed a coalition with Komeito. It lost several seats in the 2000 general election, leading it to rely on its coalition with Komeito to retain a majority. The election also saw the Democratic Party of Japan solidify itself as the main opposition party. In the 2001 leadership election, Junichiro Koizumi was elected on a reformist platform, promising to take on the old factional politics of the LDP. The LDP concurrently won seats in the 2001 House of Councillors election, boosting Koizumi. The LDP did not secure a majority, however, in the 2003 general election, which saw the DPJ make further gains. After bills to privatize Japan Post were voted down, Koizumi called for an early general election in 2005, where the LDP won a landslide victory of 296 seats. Koizumi also declined to endorse 37 members of his party who voted against the postal bills, forcing many of them to run as independents. Koizumi retired a year later, being succeeded by Shinzo Abe in the 2006 LDP presidential election. The LDP remained the largest party in both houses of the National Diet until the 2007 House of Councillors election held on 29 July, when the LDP lost its majority in the upper house. In the 2007 LDP leadership election, held on 23 September, the LDP elected Yasuo Fukuda as its president, succeeding Abe who had resigned. Fukuda defeated Tarō Asō for the post, receiving 330 votes against 197 votes for Aso. Fukuda resigned suddenly in September 2008, and Asō became Prime Minister after winning the 2008 LDP presidential election against four other candidates. In the 2009 general election, the LDP was roundly defeated, winning only 118 seats—easily the worst defeat of a sitting government in modern Japanese history, and also the first real transfer of political power in the post-war era. Accepting responsibility for this severe defeat, Aso announced his resignation as LDP president on election night. Sadakazu Tanigaki won the 2009 LDP leadership election on 28 September. 2009–2024 The LDP's support continued to decline, with prime ministers changing rapidly, and the 2009 general election saw the party losing its majority, winning only 118 seats, marking the only time they would be out of the majority other than a brief period in 1993, until 2024. Since that time, numerous party members left to join other parties or form new ones, including Your Party, the Sunrise Party of Japan, and the New Renaissance Party. The party had some success in the 2010 House of Councilors election, netting 13 additional seats and denying the DPJ a majority. Shinzo Abe became the president again in September 2012 after a five-way race. The LDP returned to power with its ally Komeito after winning a clear majority in the 2012 general election after over three years in opposition. Abe became Prime Minister for the second time preceded by Yoshihiko Noda who was the leader of the DPJ. Abe led LDP to a victory in the 2013 House of Councillors election, leading the party to control both houses of the Diet. In 2014, Abe called an early general election as a way to get support for his economic policies, The LDP again won the election. In July 2015, the party and Abe pushed for expanded military powers to fight in foreign conflict through the Legislation for Peace and Security, which was supported by Komeito. The LDP further solidified its majority in the 2016 House of Councillors election. The LDP won the 2017 general election, leading Abe to become the first LDP leader to win three consecutive general elections. The LDP lost its majority in the 2019 House of Councillors election, but maintained control of the upper house with its coalition partner Komeito; the coalition also lost the two-thirds majority needed to enact constitutional revision. Abe resigned in 2020, citing a remission of his illness. Yoshihide Suga took over from Abe in September 2020 after a three-way race. After Suga declined to run for re-election, successor Fumio Kishida led the party to a victory in the 2021 general election after a four-way party leadership race, defying expectations. Despite support dropping in 2022 after the assassination of Abe over connections between various party members and the Unification Church, the party had a good showing in the 2023 unified local elections, winning over half of the 2260 prefectural assembly seats being contested and six governorship positions. From 18 to 19 January 2024, following the LDP slush fund scandal involving failure to report and misuse of ¥600 million in campaign funds by party members of the conservative Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai and Shisuikai factions in violation of Japanese campaign finance and election law, three factions (Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai, Shisuikai, in addition to Prime Minister Kishida's Kōchikai) all announced their intention to dissolve entirely in hopes of restoring public trust. Several LDP lawmakers were indicted, including incumbent lawmakers Yasutada Ōno and Yaichi Tanigawa, who both resigned from the party following their indictments. Kishida resigned in August 2024 over the scandal and low approval ratings, and was succeeded by Shigeru Ishiba. 2024–present In the 2024 Japanese general election, the governing LDP and its coalition partner Komeito lost their parliamentary majority in the lower house for the first time since 2009, with the LDP suffering its second-worst result in its history, securing only 191 seats. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the main opposition party led by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, achieved its best result in its history, increasing its seat count from 96 to 148. This was the first general election in Japan since 1955 wherein no party secured at least 200 seats. The election outcome is largely attributed to the major slush fund scandal that emerged in November. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, called for a snap election in September to bolster support; however, the LDP's attempts to distance itself from the scandal backfired when reports surfaced that the party continued to provide funds to chapters headed by implicated members. In response to the election results, the prime minister has committed to implementing fundamental reforms regarding money in politics. The LDP's coalition partner Komeito also performed poorly, with its leader Keiichi Ishii losing his seat and subsequently announcing his resignation. This electoral setback is particularly significant for the LDP, which has held power almost continuously since 1955, highlighting the impact of the corruption scandal on public trust in the party. In the 2025 House of Councillors election, the governing coalition lost its majority in the upper house. This marked the first time in the LDP's history that it did not control either house in the National Diet. After Ishiba announced his resignation, Sanae Takaichi was elected to succeed him. She is the first woman to hold the role of party president. In October 2025, Komeito chief representative Tetsuo Saito announced that it would leave the ruling coalition, over disagreements with Takaichi's leadership. As a result, Takaichi negotiated a confidence and supply agreement with the Japan Innovation Party. The agreement was signed on 20 October, with Takaichi then taking office as Japan's first female prime minister on 21 October. On 23 January 2026, Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives, allowing a snap election to be held on 8 February. The 2026 general election resulted in a historic landslide victory for the LDP, with the party winning an outright two-thirds supermajority and regaining its majority status in the chamber. The LDP's total of at least 316 seats is the most ever won by a party in Japanese electoral history. Analysts credited the party's victory to Takaichi's high personal popularity at the time of the election. Ideology and political stance Ideologically, the LDP is widely described as conservative, as well as nationalist. While usually associated with Japanese conservatism, Japanese nationalism, and being on the right-wing of the political spectrum, the party has been described as a variety of disparate ideologies, such as conservative-liberal, liberal-conservative, social-conservative, ultranationalist, and ultraconservative. The party has not espoused a well-defined and unified ideology or political philosophy due to its long-term government, and has been described as a catch-all party. The LDP members hold a variety of positions that could be broadly defined as being to the right of main opposition parties. Many of its ministers, including former Prime Ministers Fumio Kishida, Yoshihide Suga, and Shinzo Abe, are or were affiliated with the parliamentary league of Nippon Kaigi, a lobby group described as far-right and ultraconservative. In Japanese politics, the convention is to classify the LDP and the Japanese Communist Party as occupying the conservative and progressive ends of the left–right spectrum, respectively; however, this classification has faced challenges, especially among younger generations, since the 1990s. Observers compared the LDP to the corporatist-inspired model of conservative parties, such as the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, in its relative openness towards economic interventionism, mixed market coordination, and public expenditure, particularly when compared to neoliberal orthodoxy. In the case of the LDP administration under the 1955 System, their degree of economic control was stronger than that of Western conservative governments, and was positioned closer to social democracy. Since the 1970s, the oil crisis slowed economic growth and increased the resistance of urban citizens to policies that favor farmers. To maintain its dominant position, the LDP sought to expand party supporters by incorporating social security policies and pollution measures advocated by opposition parties. It was also historically closely positioned to corporate statism. On foreign policy, the LDP has been pro-American. Into the 21st century, especially since the 2020s, the LDP established closer relations with its Indo-Pacific allies as a counter-power to China. In October 2021, the LDP said it would "reconsider" its response to the increase of China's military activity in the Taiwan Strait and small islands in the Western Pacific Ocean that are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China. The LDP government aimed to raise its defense budget "with an eye to bringing it even above two percent" of GDP from the one percent of past decades. Factions Intense factionalism has characterized the Liberal Democratic Party's history and internal composition ever since its emergence in 1955. Despite the change of factions, their history can be traced back to their 1955 roots, a testament to the stability and institutionalized nature of Liberal Democratic Party factions. All major factions that have existed in the history of the party can be categorised into the following two groups: the Conservative Mainstream (保守本流), which originated from Shigeru Yoshida's Liberal Party, and the Conservative Substream (保守傍流), which traces its roots to Ichirō Hatoyama's Japan Democratic Party. The Conservative Mainstream has traditionally been associated with moderate, welfarist, and centrist policies and has included the Kōchikai (historical members include Hayato Ikeda, Masayoshi Ōhira, Kiichi Miyazawa, Fumio Kishida, and Yoshimasa Hayashi), the Thursday Club (faction) (Kakuei Tanaka), and the Heisei Kenkyūkai (formerly Keiseikai, with historical members include Noboru Takeshita, Keizō Obuchi, Ryutarō Hashimoto, and Toshimitsu Motegi). The only extant faction, Shikōkai, is part of this group. The Conservative Substream has typically included hard-line and nationalistic factions such as the Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai (Takeo Fukuda, Shintaro Abe, Junichiro Koizumi, and Shinzo Abe) and the Shisuikai (formerly Seisaku Kagaku Kenkyūjo, associated with Yasuhiro Nakasone, Bunmei Ibuki, Shizuka Kamei, and Toshihiro Nikai). A notable exception within this group was the Banchō Seisaku Kenkyūjo (founded by Takeo Miki and Kenzō Matsumura), which was known for its leftist and progressive policies. In the aftermath of the slush fund scandal involving members of the Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai and the Shisuikai, then-party president and prime minister Fumio Kishida decided to dissolve all factions in January 2024. All factions, except for Shikōkai, led by former prime minister Tarō Asō, complied with this directive, making it the only extant faction. Structure At the apex of the LDP's formal organization is the president (総裁, sōsai), who can serve three-year terms for three times. The presidential term was increased from two years to three years in 2002 and from two to three terms in 2017. When the party has a parliamentary majority, the party president is also the prime minister of Japan. The choice of party president is formally that of a party convention composed of National Diet members and local LDP figures, but in most cases, they merely approved the joint decision of the most powerful party leaders. To make the system more democratic, Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda introduced a "primary" system in 1978, which opened the balloting to some 1.5 million LDP members. The process was so costly and acrimonious that it was subsequently abandoned in favor of the old "smoke-filled room" method—so called in allusion to the notion of closed discussions held in small rooms filled with tobacco smoke. After the party president, the most important LDP officials are the Secretary-General (kanjichō), the chairmen of the LDP Executive Council (sōmukaichō), and of the Policy Affairs Research Council or "PARC" (政務調査会, seimu chōsakai). Jiyu Minshu is the party newspaper. The LDP maintains a Students Division, as well as a Youth Division. Leadership Leadership as of 19 February 2026: Membership The LDP had over 5.5 million party members in 1991. By December 2017, membership had dropped to approximately one million members. In 2023, the LDP had 1,091,075 members, a decrease of 33,688 from the year before. It declined further to 915,574 by 2025. Election results Legislative results House of Representatives House of Councillors Logos See also List of political parties in Japan Notes References This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Country Studies. Federal Research Division. Japan Country Studies – Library of Congress Bibliography Helms, Ludger (2013). Parliamentary Opposition in Old and New Democracies. Routledge Press. ISBN 978-1-31797-031-6. Henderson, Jeffrey (2011). East Asian Transformation: On the Political Economy of Dynamism, Governance and Crisis. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-13684-113-2. Köllner, Patrick (October 2006). "The Liberal Democratic Party at 50: Sources of Dominance and Changes in the Koizumi Era". Social Science Japan Journal. 9 (2): 243–257. doi:10.1093/ssjj/jyl026. Krauss, Ellis S.; Pekkanen, Robert J. (2010). "The Rise and Fall of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party". Journal of Asian Studies. 69 (1): 5–15. doi:10.1017/S0021911809992555. It focuses on the 2009 Japanese general election.: CS1 maint: postscript (link) Krauss, Ellis S.; Pekkanen, Robert J., eds. (2010). The Rise and Fall of Japan's LDP: Political Party Organizations as Historical Institutions. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-80147-682-2. 344-page book with essays by scholars.: CS1 maint: postscript (link) Scheiner, Ethan (2006). Democracy Without Competition in Japan: Opposition Failure in a One-Party Dominant State. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-52184-692-9. External links Official website (in English)