Politics Exists Because of Democracy

The freedom to disagree is what keeps democracy alive. 

 

This morning’s Asahi Shimbun editorials caught my eye.
One was titled “Japan’s First Female Prime Minister — The Ceiling Is Broken, but…”
The other, “Reducing the Number of Lawmakers — Concerns About Cutting Off Public Will.”

Both touched on key issues that led to the rise of Prime Minister Takaichi, which means my focus yesterday was not entirely misplaced.
In particular, the discussion about the Japan Innovation Party’s proposal to cut the number of Diet members helped me better understand what one of my long-time blogger friends had pointed out.
It finally made sense.

Everything has two sides.
Not in a negative sense, but simply because every matter is a coin with two faces.
A policy that seems good from one perspective may look disastrous from another.
When some parties go so far as to denounce this new administration as “the worst in history,” one can only imagine how divided the world of politics truly is.

Given that, politicians are remarkable people.
If a few critical comments on my blog already make me flustered, I cannot imagine enduring their world.

People say politics is all about results.
But a “result” is merely a landscape seen from someone’s vantage point — no one truly knows whether it is good or bad, or whether it reflects the will of the people as a whole.
Every policy follows its own path, spawning other consequences along the way.
And the final outcome often differs from what was originally intended.

Since I praised Prime Minister Takaichi for her clarity of stance, I too must be clear about mine — otherwise it would be cowardly.
So I will leave yesterday’s post as it is, and simply observe what follows.

Japanese democracy is, at its core, built on equality.
One person, one vote.
A blessed system in which each individual’s unique thoughts are connected to a single ballot.

The very fact that I can write openly about politics here is itself a gift of democracy.
I am deeply grateful for that — and determined to help preserve it.