Leader of the Opposition (Japan)

Last updated
Leader of the Opposition
Yoshihiko Noda 2024.jpg
Incumbent
Yoshihiko Noda
since 23 September 2024
Term length While the leader of the main political party in the House of Representatives that is not in government.
Inaugural holder Shigeru Yoshida
Formation1947

The leader of the Opposition (Japan) is the leader of the main opposition party who is not in power. This is not the official position established by law. As a result of the 2024 Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan presidential election, Japanese ex-PM Yoshihiko Noda became the leader of the Opposition. [1] [2]

Contents

Overview

Under the 1955 System, the chairman of the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) served as the leader of the Opposition. [3] In particular, Takako Doi showed leadership as the first female opposition leader, and in the 1989 Japanese House of Councillors election, the JSP won a victory over the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the popular vote. This movement is called the Madonna Whirlwind because many female candidates won. [4] [5]

After the collapse of the 1955 System, the leaders of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the DPJ succeeding parties have been the leaders of the Opposition.

In 2000, as part of political reform, the question time was introduced to the Diet of Japan, and the opposition leader's role as the Leader of the Opposition has increased. [6] In particular, at question Time in 2012, opposition leader Shinzo Abe, the President of the LDP, drew attention by making Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda promise to dissolve the House of Representatives. [7] [8]

In the 2014 Japanese general election, Banri Kaieda failed to win seats in both the constituency and proportional representation block. The failure of the incumbent opposition leader was the first in 65 years since Tetsu Katayama's defeat in the 1949 Japanese general election and the first since the transition to a parallel voting system in 1994. [9] [10]

List of Leaders of the Opposition (1947-present)

PortraitName
Electoral District
PartyTerm of OfficeGeneral
Elections
RefGovernment
Took officeLeft officeDurationPartyCabinetPrime Minister
Shigeru Yoshida smiling2.jpg Shigeru Yoshida
Rep for
Kōchi
at-large

(1878-1967)
Liberal 24 May 194715 October 19481 year, 145 days Socialist Katayama Tetsu Katayama
Democratic Liberal Democratic Ashida Hitoshi Ashida
Pian Shan Zhe .jpg Tetsu Katayama
Rep forKanagawa 3rd
(1887-1978)
Socialist 15 October 194823 January 194993 days 1949 Democratic Liberal Yoshida II Shigeru Yoshida
Takeru inukai.jpg Takeru Inukai
Rep for
Okayama
2nd

(1896-1960)
Democratic 23 January 194910 February 19501 year, 19 days Yoshida III
Vacant
10 February 1950 - 28 April 1950
Liberal
TOMABECHI Gizo.jpg Gizo Tomabechi
Rep for
Aomori
1st

(1880-1959)
National Democratic 28 April 19508 February 19521 year, 287 days
Vacant
8 February 1952 - 13 June 1952
Shigemitsu Mamoru.jpg Mamoru Shigemitsu
Rep for
Ōita
2nd

(1887-1957)
Kaishintō 13 June 195224 November 19542 years, 165 days 1952
1953 Yoshida IV
Yoshida V
Hatoyama Ichiro.jpg Ichirō Hatoyama
Rep for
Tokyo
1st

(1883-1959)
Japan Democratic 24 November 195410 December 195417 days
OGATA Taketora.jpg Taketora Ogata
Rep for
Fukuoka
1st

(1888-1956)
Liberal 10 December 195413 October 1955308 days 1955 Japan Democratic Hatoyama I Ichirō Hatoyama
Hatoyama II
Suzuki Mosaburo.JPG Mosaburō Suzuki
Rep for
Tokyo
3rd

(1893-1970)
Socialist 13 October 195523 March 19604 years, 163 days
Liberal Democratic Hatoyama III
Liberal Democratic Ishibashi Tanzan Ishibashi
1958 Liberal Democratic Kishi I Nobusuke Kishi
Kishi II
Inejiro-Asanuma-2.png Inejirō Asanuma
Rep for
Tokyo
1st

(1898-1960)
Socialist 23 March 196012 October 1960204 days
Liberal Democratic Ikeda I Hayato Ikeda
Saburo Eda 1963 Salvaged Portrait.jpg Saburō Eda
(Acting)
Cou for
Okayama
at-large

(1907-1977)
Socialist 12 October 19606 March 1961146 days 1960
Ikeda II
Jotaro Kawakami Salvaged.jpg Jōtarō Kawakami
Rep for
Hyōgo
1st

(1889-1965)
Socialist 6 March 19616 May 19654 years, 62 days 1963
Ikeda III
Liberal Democratic Satō I Eisaku Satō
Kozo Sasaki 1965 Salvaged Portrait.png Kōzō Sasaki
Rep for
Miyagi
1st

(1900-1985)
Socialist 6 May 196519 August 19672 years, 106 days 1967
Satō II
Seiichi Katsumata 1953.png Seiichi Katsumata
Rep for
Shizuoka
2nd

(1908-1989)
Socialist 19 August 19674 October 19681 year, 47 days
Vacant
4 October 1968 - 30 November 1968
Tomomi-Narita-1.png Tomomi Narita
Rep for
Kagawa
1st

(1912-1979)
Socialist 30 November 196813 December 19779 years, 14 days 1969
Satō III
1972 Liberal Democratic Tanaka I Kakuei Tanaka
Tanaka II
1976 Liberal Democratic Miki Takeo Miki
Liberal Democratic Fukuda Takeo Fukuda
Ichio-Asukata-1.png Ichio Asukata
Mayor of
Yokohama


Rep for
Tokyo
1st

(1915-1990)
Socialist 13 December 19777 September 19835 years, 269 days
1979 Liberal Democratic Ōhira I Masayoshi Ōhira
1980 Ōhira II
Liberal Democratic Masayoshi Ito
Acting
Liberal Democratic Suzuki Zenkō Suzuki
Liberal Democratic Nakasone I Yasuhiro Nakasone
Masashi Ishibashi.jpg Masashi Ishibashi
Rep for
Nagasaki
2nd

(1924-2019)
Socialist 7 September 19838 September 19863 years, 2 days 1983
1986 Nakasone II
Nakasone III
Takako Doi in Tokyo congressist election 2.jpg Takako Doi
Rep for
Hyōgo
2nd

(1928-2014)
Socialist 8 September 198631 July 19914 years, 327 days
Liberal Democratic Uno Sōsuke Uno
1990 Liberal Democratic Kaifu I Toshiki Kaifu
Kaifu II
Makoto Tanabe
Rep for
Gunma
1st

(1922-2015)
Socialist 31 July 199119 January 19931 year, 173 days
Liberal Democratic Miyazawa Kiichi Miyazawa
Sadao Yamahana Morihiro Hosokawa Cabinet 19930809-2.jpg Sadao Yamahana
Rep for
Tokyo
11th

(1936-1999)
Socialist 19 January 19939 August 1993203 days 1993
Yohei Kono.jpg Yōhei Kōno
Rep for
Kanagawa
5th

(born 1937)
Liberal Democratic 9 August 199330 June 1994326 days Japan New Hosokawa Morihiro Hosokawa
Japan Renewal Hata Tsutomu Hata
Tsutomu Hata 19940428.jpg Tsutomu Hata
Rep for
Nagano
2nd

(1935-2017)
Japan Renewal 30 June 199410 December 1994164 days Socialist Murayama Tomiichi Murayama
Toshiki Kaifu 19890810.jpg Toshiki Kaifu
Rep for
Aichi
3rd

(1931-2022)
New Frontier 10 December 199428 December 19951 year, 19 days
Ichiro Ozawa cropped 3 Yoshitaka Kimoto and Ichiro Ozawa 20010718.jpg Ichirō Ozawa
Rep for
Iwate
2nd


Rep for
Iwate
4th

(born 1942)
New Frontier 28 December 199531 December 19972 years, 4 days
1996 Liberal Democratic Hashimoto I Ryutaro Hashimoto
Hashimoto II
Naoto Kan 20071221.jpg Naoto Kan
Rep for
Tokyo
18th

(born 1946)
Democratic 31 December 199725 September 19991 year, 269 days
Democratic
Liberal Democratic Obuchi Keizō Obuchi
Yukio Hatoyama 20070824.jpg Yukio Hatoyama
Rep for
Hokkaido
9th

(born 1947)
Democratic 25 September 199910 December 20023 years, 77 days
2000 Liberal Democratic Mori I Yoshirō Mori
Mori II
Liberal Democratic Koizumi I Junichiro Koizumi
Naoto Kan 20071221.jpg Naoto Kan
Rep for
Tokyo
18th

(born 1946)
Democratic 10 December 200218 May 20041 year, 161 days 2003
Koizumi II
Okada Katsuya Daijin 1.jpg Katsuya Okada
Rep for
Mie
3rd

(born 1953)
Democratic 18 May 200417 September 20051 year, 123 days 2005
Seiji Maehara Nov 18, 2005.JPG Seiji Maehara
Rep for
Kyoto
2nd

(born 1962)
Democratic 17 September 20057 April 2006203 days
Koizumi III
Ichiro Ozawa cropped 3 Yoshitaka Kimoto and Ichiro Ozawa 20010718.jpg Ichirō Ozawa
Rep for
Iwate
4th

(born 1942)
Democratic 7 April 200616 May 20093 years, 40 days
Liberal Democratic Abe I Shinzo Abe
Liberal Democratic Fukuda Yasuo Fukuda
Liberal Democratic Asō Tarō Asō
Yukio Hatoyama 20070824.jpg Yukio Hatoyama
Rep for
Hokkaido
9th

(born 1947)
Democratic 16 May 200916 September 2009124 days 2009
Masatoshi Wakabayashi 200708.jpg Masatoshi Wakabayashi
(Acting)
Cou for

Nagano
at-large

(1934-2023)
Liberal Democratic 16 September 200928 September 200913 days Democratic Hatoyama Yukio Hatoyama
Tanigaki Sadakazu 1-1.jpg Sadakazu Tanigaki
Rep for
Kyoto
5th

(born 1945)
Liberal Democratic 28 September 200926 September 20122 years, 365 days
Democratic Kan Naoto Kan
Democratic Noda Yoshihiko Noda
Shinzo Abe 20120501.jpg Shinzo Abe
Rep for
Yamaguchi
4th

(1954-2022)
Liberal Democratic 26 September 201226 December 201292 days 2012
Banri Kaieda 201106.jpg Banri Kaieda
Rep for
Tokyo
PR block

(born 1949)
Democratic 26 December 201215 December 20141 year, 355 days 2014 Liberal Democratic Abe II Shinzo Abe
Vacant
15 December 2014 - 18 January 2015
Abe III
Katsuya Okada in New Delhi on 23 September 2016.jpg Katsuya Okada
Rep for
Mie
3rd

(born 1953)
Democratic 18 January 201515 September 20161 year, 242 days
Democratic
Renho Minshu 20130714.jpg Renhō
Cou for
Tokyo
at-large

(born 1967)
Democratic 18 September 20161 September 2017352 days
Seiji Maehara (Noda Cabinet).jpg Seiji Maehara
Rep for
Kyoto
2nd

(born 1962)
Democratic 1 September 201722 October 201752 days 2017
Yukio Edano in SL Square on 2017 - 4 (cropped).jpg Yukio Edano
Rep for
Saitama
5th

(born 1964)
Former
Constitutional Democratic
22 October 201730 November 20214 years, 40 days Abe IV
Constitutional Democratic
Liberal Democratic Suga Yoshihide Suga
2021 Liberal Democratic Kishida I Fumio Kishida
Kishida II
Kenta Izumi and Katsuya Okada (cropped).png Kenta Izumi
Rep for
Kyoto
3rd

(born 1974)
Constitutional Democratic 30 November 202123 September 20242 years, 299 days
Yoshihiko Noda 2024.jpg Yoshihiko Noda
Rep for
Chiba
4th


Rep for
Chiba
14th

(born 1957)
Constitutional Democratic 23 September 2024Incumbent81 days
2024 Liberal Democratic Ishiba I Shigeru Ishiba
Ishiba II

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References

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