Editing Politics of Japan (section)

== Post-war political developments in Japan ==
Political parties had begun to revive almost immediately after the [[Occupation of Japan|Allied occupation]] began because of [[surrender of Japan]] in [[World War II]]. [[Left-wing]] organizations, such as the [[Japan Socialist Party]] and the [[Japanese Communist Party]], quickly reestablished themselves, as did various [[Conservatism|conservative]] parties. The old [[Rikken Seiyūkai]] and [[Rikken Minseitō]] came back as, the Liberal Party ([[Nihon Jiyūtō]]) and the [[Japan Progressive Party]] (Nihon Shimpotō) respectively. The [[1946 Japanese general election|first postwar general election]] was held in 1946 ([[Women's suffrage|women were given the franchise]] for the first time in 1946), and the Liberal Party's vice president, [[Yoshida Shigeru]] (1878–1967), became prime minister.

For the [[1947 Japanese general election|1947 general election]], anti-Yoshida forces left the Liberal Party and joined forces with the Progressive Party to establish the new [[Democratic Party of Japan|Democratic Party]] (Minshutō). This divisiveness in conservative ranks gave a plurality to the Japan Socialist Party, which was allowed to form a cabinet, which lasted less than a year. Thereafter, the socialist party steadily declined in its electoral successes. After a short period of Democratic Party administration, Yoshida returned in late 1948 and continued to serve as prime minister until 1954.

Even before Japan regained full sovereignty, the government had rehabilitated nearly 80,000 people who had been purged, many of whom returned to their former political and government positions. A debate over limitations on [[Military budget of Japan|military spending]] and the [[Controversies regarding the role of the Emperor of Japan|sovereignty of the Emperor]] ensued, contributing to the great reduction in the Liberal Party's majority in the [[1952 Japanese general election|first post-occupation elections (October 1952)]]. After several reorganizations of the armed forces, in 1954 the [[Japan Self-Defense Forces]] (JSDF) were established under a civilian director. [[Cold War]] realities and the hot [[Korean War|war]] in nearby [[Korea]] also contributed significantly to the [[United States]]-influenced [[Japanese economic miracle|economic redevelopment]], the suppression of [[communism]], and the discouragement of [[organized labor]] in Japan during this period.

Continual fragmentation of parties and a succession of [[minority government]]s led conservative forces to merge the Liberal Party (Jiyūtō) with the Japan Democratic Party (Nihon Minshutō), an offshoot of the earlier Democratic Party, to form the [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]] (Jiyū-Minshutō; LDP) in November 1955, called [[1955 System]]. This party continuously held power from 1955 through 1993, except for a short while when it was replaced by a new minority government. LDP leadership was drawn from the elite who had seen Japan through the defeat and occupation. It attracted former bureaucrats, local politicians, businessmen, journalists, other professionals, farmers, and university graduates.

In October 1955, socialist groups reunited under the [[Japan Socialist Party]] (JSP), which emerged as the second most powerful political force. It was followed closely in popularity by the [[Komeito]], founded in 1964 as the political arm of the [[Soka Gakkai]] (Value Creation Society), until 1991, a lay organization affiliated with the [[Nichiren Shōshū]] Buddhist sect. The Komeito emphasized the traditional Japanese beliefs and attracted urban laborers, former rural residents, and women. Like the [[Japan Socialist Party]], it favored the gradual modification and dissolution of the [[Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan|Japan-United States Mutual Security Assistance Pact]].