Paper short abstract:

In this paper I explore how the progressive opposition consolidated itself after its fall from power in 2012 through a melodramatic narrative.

Paper long abstract:

The failure of the Democratic Party of Japan to perform competently during its brief time in government between 2009 and 2012 has had a persistent effect in keeping the public away from the opposition throughout the rest of the decade and has led to an understanding within the parties that projecting competence and a positive vision is of prime importance to restore credibility. The opposition has, despite this, leaned towards attacks on PM Abe Shinzo's administration during the remainder of the decade, which has been met by a lukewarm response from voters at best and a negative appraisal at worst. This article draws from literary theories of emotion and narrative to analyze this reliance by the opposition on a story of itself as standing together with the good citizens of Japan against the authoritarian and illiberal goals of the LDP. It argues that this form of discourse served to give meaning to the opposition's efforts under difficult electoral circumstances in large part by relying on a melodramatic narrative that turned the PM into a symbol against which divergent opposition parties could rally. The paper concludes that the opposition's style of discourse allowed for a more simplified representation of the otherwise complex structural obstacles that impeded the rise of a two-party system, while also allowing it to construct a coherent identity distinct from the LDP. It also shows how even as opposition parties should reliably lean towards vote-maximization, its understandings of itself as a valuable democratic institution may limit the kinds of stories it can actually tell to its constituents.

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