This blatant pandering to sectional interests, in defiance of national objectives, is an LDP hallmark. Despite plunging urban support, the LDP is able to cling to office by pouring money into protected regional industries, like the corruption-plagued construction sector. This largesse is repaid in the form of big donations and a highly disciplined rural vote. The sad fact is that Japanese democracy, one of Asia's most stable since its postwar construction, is also one of its most flawed. By exploiting the system, the cynicism of voters and the eagerness of other parties to share in the spoils, the LDP has been able to retain power for virtually all of the post-war period.
Japan is effectively a one-party state.
Experts say the only change is that in the past the LDP governed as a loose coalition of internal factions. Now, courtesy of its declining vote, it must rely on the support of parties to maintain its hegemony in the Diet. Due to this unwieldy structure, the Obuchi Government is a marriage of three separate parties, and the Japanese mania for consensus slows down decision-making even further. It also means the wasteful public pipeline must be widened even further to accommodate more vested interests. The essence of a vibrant democracy means that opposition parties must be able to capitalise on community dissent.