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40-464: The Progressive Alliance ( PA ) is a political international of progressive and social democratic political parties and organisations founded on 22 May 2013 in Leipzig , Germany . The alliance was formed as an alternative to the existing Socialist International , of which many of its member parties are former or current members. The Progressive Alliance claims to have 140 participants from around

80-515: A family with children (¥26,000 per child), cut in gas tax, income support for farmers , free tuition for public high schools, banning of temporary work in manufacturing, raising the minimum-wage to ¥1,000 and halting of increase in sales tax for the next four years. The DPJ's stance on nuclear power was that steady steps should be taken towards nuclear power, but not too quickly as to possibly endanger safety. The DPJ had some political factions or groups, although they were not as factionalized as

120-513: A move largely considered in preparation for the 2003 general election held on 9 November 2003. This move immediately gave the DPJ eight more seats in the House of Councilors. In the 2003 general election , the DPJ gained a total of 178 seats. This was short of their objectives, but nevertheless a significant demonstration of the new group's strength. Following a pension scandal, Naoto Kan resigned and

160-421: A panacea either in the free market or in the welfare state . Rather, we shall build a new road of the democratic center toward a society in which self-reliant individuals can mutually coexist and the government's role is limited to building the necessary systems. Democratic Centrism pursued the following five goals. The DPJ's policy platforms included the restructuring of civil service, monthly allowance to

200-512: A special convention agreed for 27 March. On 4 March 2016, the DPJ and JIP asked supporters for suggestions for a name for the new party. On 14 March 2016 the name of the new party was announced as Minshintō , having been the most popular choice of possible names polled among voters. With the addition of Representatives form Vision of Reform , the DPJ and JIP merged to form the Democratic Party on 27 March 2016. The dissolution of

240-525: The August 2009 general election , at which the party swept the LDP from power in a massive landslide, winning 308 seats (out of a total of 480 seats), reducing the LDP from 300 to 119 seats – the worst defeat for a sitting government in modern Japanese history. This was in marked contrast to the closely contested 1993 general election , the only other time the LDP has lost an election. The DPJ's strong majority in

280-536: The House of Councillors . The DPJ was ousted from government by the LDP in the 2012 general election . It retained 57 seats in the lower house, and still had 88 seats in the upper house. During its time in office, the DPJ was beset by internal conflicts and struggled to implement many of its proposed policies, an outcome described by political scientists Phillip Lipscy and Ethan Scheiner as the "paradox of political change without policy change". Legislative productivity under

320-460: The House of Representatives and thirty-eight members of the House of Councilors . Moreover, the party officials were elected as well at the party convention for the first time; Naoto Kan , former Health and Welfare Minister was appointed as the president of the party and Tsutomu Hata , former prime minister as secretary-general. On 24 September 2003 the party formally merged with the small, centre-right Liberal Party led by Ichirō Ozawa in

360-686: The United Nations and later the European Union . Internationals also form supranational and regional branches (e.g. a European branch or an African branch) and maintain fraternal or governing relationships with sector-specific wings (e.g. youth or women's wings). Internationals usually do not have a significant role. Internationals provide the parties an opportunity for sharing of experience. The parties belonging to internationals have various organizational obligations and can be expelled for not meeting those obligations. For example, during

400-679: The 2011 Arab Spring the Socialist International expelled the governing parties of Tunisia and Egypt for performing actions incompatible with the values of this international. Democratic Party of Japan The party's origins lie in the previous Democratic Party of Japan , which was founded in September 1996 by politicians of the centre-right and centre-left with roots in the Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Socialist Party . In April 1998,

440-582: The 320 seats (a two-thirds majority) needed to override the upper chamber's veto power. Hatoyama was thus forced to form a coalition government with the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party to ensure their support in the House of Councillors. On 2 June 2010, Hatoyama announced his resignation before a party meeting and officially resigned two days later. He cited breaking a campaign promise to close an American military base on

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480-442: The DPJ and the fact that the DPJ aligned itself with the foreign policy of the LDP. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) called their philosophy ' Democratic Centrism  [ ja ] ' ( 民主中道 , minshu-chūdō ) , which was determined in the first party convention on 27 April 1998. DPJ is generally classified as a centrist party, but it is also classified as a centre-left in the context of Japanese politics in contrast to

520-571: The DPJ did not obtain a majority in the Diet. He was replaced by Seiji Maehara in September 2005. However, Maehara's term as party leader lasted barely half a year. Although he initially led the party's criticism of the Koizumi administration, particularly in regards to connections between LDP lawmakers and scandal-ridden Livedoor , the revelation that a fake email was used to try and establish this link greatly damaged his credibility. The scandal led to

560-468: The DPJ has often been designated as a big tent party. The DPJ claimed themselves to be revolutionary in that they are against the status quo and the current governing establishment. The DPJ argued that the bureaucracy and the size of the Japanese government is too large, inefficient, and saturated with cronies and that the Japanese state is too conservative and inflexible. The DPJ wanted to "overthrow

600-421: The DPJ is mainly attributed to the fact that the reforms that the DPJ advocated for were hard to put into place because of electoral restrictions, economic restrictions, and the fact that the reforms that would reduce the power of the bureaucracy would help deprive the DPJ of the power to implement their other reforms. Other factors that affected the dissolution of the party were the internal conflicts that paralyzed

640-669: The DPJ merged with the Japan Innovation Party and Vision of Reform to form the Democratic Party ( Minshintō ), which in turn merged with the Party of Hope to form the Democratic Party for the People . It is not to be confused with the now-defunct Japan Democratic Party that merged with the Liberal Party in 1955 to form the Liberal Democratic Party . It is also different from another Democratic Party , which

680-490: The DPJ was particularly low, falling to levels unprecedented in recent Japanese history according to some measures. However, the DPJ implemented a number of progressive measures during its time in office such as the provision of free public schooling through high school, increases in child-rearing subsidies, expanded unemployment insurance coverage, extended duration of a housing allowance, and stricter regulations safeguarding part-time and temporary workers. On 27 March 2016,

720-490: The House of Representatives assured that Hatoyama would be the next prime minister to replace Tarō Asō , leader of the LDP. Hatoyama was nominated on September 16 and formally appointed later that day by Emperor Akihito in the Tokyo Imperial Palace and formed his Cabinet . However, the DPJ did not have a majority in the House of Councillors, which was not contested at the election, and fell just short of

760-530: The July upper house election. Naoto Kan succeeded Hatoyama as the next President of DPJ and Prime Minister of Japan. At the July 2010 House of Councillors election , the DPJ lost ten seats and their coalition majority. Prior to the election Kan raised the issue of an increase to Japan's 5 per cent consumption tax in order to address the country's rising debt. This proposal, together with Ozawa and Hatoyama's scandals,

800-504: The LDP labeled as the "second" Prime Minister of the Kan cabinet. In September 2010, the government intervened to weaken the surging yen by buying U.S. dollars , a move which temporarily relieved Japan's exporters. The move proved popular with stock brokers, Japanese exporters, and the Japanese public. It was the first such move by a Japanese government since 2004. Later, in October, after

840-537: The LDP. The DPJ aimed to create a platform broad enough to encompass the views of politicians who had roots in either the Liberal Democratic Party or Japan Socialist Party . Party leader Naoto Kan compared the DPJ to the Olive Tree alliance of former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi , and described his view that it needed to be "the party of Thatcher and Blair ". The DPJ had both conservative and social-democratic elements. Because of this position,

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880-936: The Tunisian Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties . Also present were representatives of the Indian National Congress , the Workers' Party of Brazil, and PASOK of Greece. The Dutch Labour Party also supported the formation of the organisation, as did the Swiss Socialist Party , and the Social Democratic Party of Austria . During the Council of the Socialist International in Cascais , Portugal, on 4–5 February 2013, 50 political parties discussed on

920-465: The ancient régime locked in old thinking and vested interests, solve the problems at hand, and create a new, flexible, affluent society which values people's individuality and vitality." We stand for those who have been excluded by the structure of vested interests, those who work hard and pay taxes, and for people who strive for independence despite difficult circumstances. In other words, we represent citizens , taxpayers , and consumers. We do not seek

960-619: The island of Okinawa Prefecture as the main reason for the move. On 28 May 2010, soon after and because of increased tensions after the possible sinking of a Korean ship by North Korea , Hatoyama had made a deal with U.S. President Barack Obama to retain the base for security reasons, but the deal was unpopular in Japan. He also mentioned money scandals involving a top party leader, Ozawa, who resigned as well, in his decision to step down. Hatoyama had been pressured to leave by members of his party after doing poorly in polls in anticipation of

1000-577: The network, rather than claiming members. In coalition in the Australian Capital Territory . Political international A political international is a transnational organization of political parties having similar ideology or political orientation (e.g. communism , socialism , or Islamism ). The international works together on points of agreement to co-ordinate activity. Political internationals have increased in popularity and influence since their beginnings in

1040-742: The organisation. An initial Conference of the Progressive Alliance was held in Rome , Italy, on 14–15 December 2012, with representatives of 42 political parties attending. They included Pier Luigi Bersani , leader of the Democratic Party of Italy ; Harlem Désir , Chair of the French Socialist Party ; Hermes Binner , Chair of the Argentine Socialist Party ; Peter Shumlin , Democratic governor of Vermont; and Mustapha Ben Jafar , Secretary General of

1080-430: The political left of 19th-century Europe, as political activists have paid more attention to developments for or against their ideological favor in other countries and continents. After World War II , other ideological movements formed their political internationals to communicate among aligned parliamentarians and legislative candidates as well as to communicate with intergovernmental and supranational organizations such as

1120-501: The previous DPJ merged with splinters of the New Frontier Party to create a new party which retained the DPJ name. In 2003, the party was joined by the Liberal Party of Ichirō Ozawa . Following the 2009 election , the DPJ became the ruling party in the House of Representatives, defeating the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and gaining the largest number of seats in both the House of Representatives and

1160-418: The rejection of his Postal privatization bills saw a major setback to the DPJ's plans of obtaining a majority in the Diet. The DPJ leadership, particularly Okada, had staked their reputation on winning the election and driving the LDP from power. When the final results were in, the DPJ had lost 62 seats, mostly to its rival the LDP. Okada resigned the party leadership, fulfilling his campaign promise to do so if

1200-539: The resignation of Representative Hisayasu Nagata and of Maehara as party leader on 31 March. New elections for party leader were held on 7 April, in which Ichirō Ozawa was elected president. In the Upper House election 2007 , the DPJ won 60 out of 121 contested seats, with 49 seats not up for re-election. Ozawa resigned as party leader in May 2009 after a fundraising scandal and Yukio Hatoyama succeeded Ozawa before

1240-668: The sidelines the formation of the Progressive Alliance, including the Movement for Democratic Change of Zimbabwe. The official foundation of the organisation was held on 22 May 2013 in Leipzig , Germany, on the 150th anniversary of the formation of the General German Workers' Association (ADAV), the predecessor of the SPD. The organisation stated the aim of becoming the global network of "the progressive , democratic, social-democratic , socialist and labour movement". It

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1280-439: The wider Japanese public preferred Kan to Ozawa by as much as a 4–1 ratio. In the final vote by DPJ lawmakers Kan won with 206 votes to Ozawa's 200. After the leadership challenge, Kan reshuffled his cabinet and removed many prominent members of the pro-Ozawa faction from important posts in the new cabinet. The cabinet reshuffle also resulted in the promotion of long-time Kan ally Yoshito Sengoku to Chief Cabinet Secretary, who

1320-482: The world. The first step towards the creation of the Progressive Alliance was the decision in January 2012 by Sigmar Gabriel , then chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), to cancel payment of the SPD's £100,000 yearly membership fee to the Socialist International . Gabriel had been critical of the Socialist International's admittance and continuing inclusion of undemocratic political movements into

1360-408: The yen had offset the intervention and had reached a 15-year high, the Kan cabinet approved a stimulus package worth about 5.1 trillion yen ($ 62 billion) in order to weaken the yen and fight deflation. On 24 February 2016, the DPJ announced an agreement to merge with the smaller Japan Innovation Party (JIP) and Vision of Reform ahead of the Upper House elections in the summer, with a merger at

1400-793: Was established in 1947 and dissolved in 1950. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) was formed on 27 April 1998. It was a merger of four previously independent parties that were opposed to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)—the previous Democratic Party of Japan , the Good Governance Party (民政党, Minseitō ), the New Fraternity Party (新党友愛, Shintō-Yūai ), and the Democratic Reform Party (民主改革連合, Minshu-Kaikaku-Rengō ). The previous parties ranged in ideology from conservative to social-democratic . The new party began with ninety-three members of

1440-651: Was held on 25 September 2015 in Batu Ferringhi , Malaysia, which also hosted delegates from the Democratic Action Party of Malaysia, Democratic Party of Japan and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle . On 25 April 2016 the organisation held a seminar in São Paulo hosted by the Workers' Party of Brazil. The Progressive Alliance lists 117 parties and 28 organisations which participate in

1480-593: Was negotiating to join the Progressive Alliance and that its representatives were to attend a seminar of the international in Stockholm on 24 October. The Democratic Party of Korea was a founding member but withdrew in 2016. The Korean Justice Party currently participates as an observer. On 4–5 December 2014, a Progressive Alliance conference was held in Lisbon for member parties of the S&;D group. A regional seminar

1520-405: Was replaced with moderate liberal Katsuya Okada . In the 2004 House of Councilors elections, the DPJ won a seat more than the ruling Liberal Democrats, but the LDP still maintained its firm majority in total votes. This was the first time since its inception that the LDP had garnered fewer votes than another party. The 2005 snap parliamentary elections called by Junichiro Koizumi in response to

1560-502: Was reported that representatives of approximately 70 social-democratic political parties from across the world attended the event. The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament joined the organisation upon its official foundation. Many member parties are also affiliated to the Socialist International. In September 2013 the Democratic Party of Cyprus (DIKO) announced that it

1600-593: Was viewed as one of the causes for the party's poor performance in the election. The divided house meant the government required the cooperation of smaller parties including Your Party and the Communist Party to ensure the passage of legislation through the upper house. Ozawa challenged Kan's leadership of the DPJ in September 2010 . Although Ozawa initially had a slight edge among DPJ members of parliament, local rank-and-file party members and activists overwhelmingly supported Kan, and according to opinion polls

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