Kakushin seitō (革新政党), meaningreformist political parties[1] orprogressive political parties,[2][3] is an umbrella term used in Japan to refer to a variety of left-leaning political parties generally viewed as "anti-conservative." In thepostwar period, it has generally been applied todemocratic socialist,social democratic andsocially progressive parties that seek to upholdArticle 9 of the Japanese Constitution. Japan's "progressive parties" are basically opposed to constitutional amendments led by right-wing conservatives, so they are partly in solidarity with moderateliberal parties. "Kakushin" parties have been considered progressive orradical-liberal forces.[4][5]
In general, while theLiberal Democratic Party (LDP) has a strong conservative tendency, theJapanese Communist Party (JCP) has shown a strong progressive tendency[3] in the Japanese political spectrum. In the 21st century, not only traditionaldemocratic socialist parties but also some liberal parties began to be regarded as part of thekakushin seitō in the Japanese political context.[6][7]
The terms "kakushin" and "left-wing" (左派,saha) have been criticized for being misused by mainstreamJapanese media and Japanese conservatives asred-baiting terms to attackSouth Korean liberals for their historically-motivatedanti-Japan sentiment. By South Korean political standards, theDemocratic Party of Korea (DPK) does not classify itself as a "jinbojeongdang" (Korean: 진보정당;Hanja: 進步政黨) because it is generally considered socially conservative. However, major Japanese media often refer to the Democratic Party of Korea as a "kakushin seitō."
South Korean liberals criticize mainstream Japanese media and conservatives. According toMoon Chung-in, Japanese conservatives pointed out that referring to South Korean liberals as "kakushin" isred-baiting, equating them with theJapan Socialist Party and theJapanese Communist Party. Moon Chung-in also said thatMoon Jae-in government and DPK support "Gaehyeok" (改革) in the South Korean political context, but not "kakushin" (革新) or revolution in the Japanese political context.[8][9]
... In the 1955 survey, supporters of the conservative party were found to be fairly clearly differentiated from reformist party supporters. With regard to age, older generations tend to support the conservative party whereas the young tend ...
... has consistently defended the economic and social interests of the working people through its parliamentary and exter-parliamentary activities, and has won the greater results through its activities than any other progressive party. ...
Conventional wisdom, still dominant in media and academic circles, holds that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) occupy the conservative and progressive ends of the ideological spectrum, ...
This may reflect the dramatic decline in the electoral fortunes of traditionally progressive parties, including not only the JCP but also the SDP. Indeed, the term "progressive" (kakushin) itself has faded from political discourse since ...
The constitution was defended by the JSP, the mainstay of kakushin (radical-liberal forces), that included a small group of Japan Communist party (JCP) members.
