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The Japan Socialist Party (日本社会党) (in Japanese Nihon Shakai-to) was a former Japanese political party with a socialist, left-wing ideology, which functioned between 1945 and 1996.
History
The Japan Socialist Party was the first post-war political party to form after the end of World War II. It at first was an extreme revolutionary socialist party, but in a couple of years, it had become a regular socialist party. As opposition parties formed, ranging from conservative parties such as the Liberals (even though they were conservative) or the Democrats, with a more agrarian agenda. In 1947, Katayama Tetsu, a socialist, was elected prime minster, and the socialists won a majority. The government collapsed in 1948 because of Marxist rebellion within the party, and by the end of the 1940's, the JSP had split into two parties - the Rightist Socialist Party of Japan, made up of moderate social-democrats, and the Leftist Socialist Party of Japan, made up of Marxist-socialists. In 1955, the two sides reconciled and merged, and the Japan Socialist Party was reproclaimed. The Japan Socialist Party, even though after 1948 was in the opposition, remained the largest party until 1955, when the Liberals and Democrats merged and formed the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (Japan).
The Japan Socialist Party after that won hardly any seats. It, however, functioned as the sole opposition force to the Liberal Democrats, in addition to the Communists, and other parties. It did quite well in some elections, did terrible in others, but it was never in power after 1948, always playing the opposition to the Liberal Democrats.
In 1960, a breakaway group (formed by the most moderate faction of the old Rightist Socialist Party of Japan) formed the Democratic Socialist Party (Japan), but the Socialist Party was preserved.
In 1986, however, Takako Doi became the chairwoman of the party, and became speaker of the House of Representatives, ushering popularity in the party. This, however, came to a climax in 1993, when the LDP was defeated by the liberal Japan Renewal Party and its allies, of which the JSP was a part. The liberals which controlled the coalition, such as the JRP and also the Japan New Party, treated the radicals with disrispect. Thus, the New Party Sakigake and JSP left the coalition and joined with the LDP in the opposition. The LDP and JSP thus put aside their long fight. The Communists and the Komeito Party remained in the coalition.
In 1994, the JSP for the first time won the election for the first time since 1948 under Tomiichi Murayama, of which the LDP and New Party Sakigake were a part. But by 1996, the LDP went back in power, and the JSP withdrew from the coalition. Chairwoman Doi wanted to heavily reform the party, so she dissolved the JSP in 1996 and created a new, more moderate, social-democratic party, the Social Democratic Party (Japan).
After the dissolution of the JSP, the new SDP did terribly. The Democratic Party in 1998, which solved the problem of a strong, social-democratic and liberal force, the SDP began a long decline. Currently, the party has hardly any seats in the Diet and is the smallest Japanese political party at present. There are talks going on regarding a merger between the SDP and the Democratic Party of Japan. A recently formed organisation Young Socialists (Japan), which retains a full membership of International Union of Socialist Youth), is said to be inherited from the political tradition of Rightist Socialists.
The party was left-wing, and socialist on domestic policy. It is now defunct.
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