Talk:Komeito

Political position

Should political spectrum in the infobox be changed to state "Centre to centre right" as opposed to "Cnetre right"? Jeff6045 (talk) 12:08, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

Discussion

I think that we should add "centre" as well as "centre-right" as the position of this party. Because it is widely regarded as a centrist political party in Japan, and this party defines it as such.

Also, the party itself is rarely considered "right-wing" in Japan, and influential media outside Japan, such as the Associated Press and the Financial Times, recognize the same and should not hide this fact.

No article clearly defines the party's position as "Right-wing" is in sight. Even if it were, we do not describe the party’s political position as "right-wing" just because it has a outlet that calls Germany’s CDU "Right-wing."

Therefore, this party should be considered a party spanning "centre" and "centre-right". Littlelessleast (talk) 05:26, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

It's just your own research and it's not NPOV-like. The party referred to as "Right-wing" from a reliable source, so it should not at least be labeled a "Centre"-leaning. Nor does Wikipedia label the German CDU's political position as "Right-wing" but not "Centre." Rather, in Wikipedia, the CDU only describes as a simple "center-right" party.--삭은사과 (talk) 06:47, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

Thank you for replying. However, you have also removed “to left-wing” for the same reason in the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan article. Also, any articles I have added about the Komeito are treated as "centrist" rather than "centre-right" and should not be ignored. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Littlelessleast (talk • contribs) 07:12, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

That's because CDP is a liberal party, and This is because it is rare to report that CDP's position is "Left-wing" independently without any involvement with other parties. (liberal parties don't usually describe it as "Left-wing" or "Right-wing".). On the other hand, the NKP is defined as "Right-wing" by itself. and Nor is the NKP a liberal party. And in the first place, changing the "Centre-left/Centre-right" party to "Left-wing/Right-wing" is not the same problem as changing the "Centrist" party to "Centre-left/Centre-right". This is because the former case gives rise to the perception that it is 'radical' unlike the latter.--삭은사과 (talk) 07:54, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

@Littlelessleast: You have suggested three sources. First one is from Japnese media, second one is from Associated Press and the last one is from Financial Times. Next is my input about the sources you have suggested.

• 1. Japanese media
  As I don't know Japanese, I can't conisder whether the source is reliable or not.
• 2. AP
  AP is generally considered as a reliable source in WP but I couldn't find exactly where the source is describing the Komeitio as centrist.
• 3. FT
  FT is generally considered as a reliable source in WP. However the artilce is locked and I can't find which part of the source is descrbing the party as centrist.

I hope my input can help to make porgress on this discussion. Thank you! Jeff6045 (talk) 08:00, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

@Jeff6045: Thank you for taking part in the discussion. The following is my answer to your input.

• 1. Japanese media
  This is a site run by the Asahi Shimbun Company that explains news and current affairs for job hunters. The editorial committee and reporters of the Asahi Shimbun play a central role. The Asahi Shimbun is the second-largest and center-left newspaper in Japan and is reliable. https://asahi.gakujo.ne.jp/
• 2. AP
  This part: Abe’s party has largely pressured its centrist, Buddhist-backed partner into a compromise, though New Komeito initially opposed the idea.
• 3. FT
  If you cannot subscribe, copy the URL, search with google or bing and open the hit FT site , you can see the full article without logging in.

Thank you for reading. --Littlelessleast (talk) 10:03, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

There are also considerable views that view the NKP as Right-wing. I'm opposed to ignoring them and labeling the party "Centre to Centre-right." I think of the party as "Centre-right to Right-wing," but I don't think it's appropriate because there is a source that describes the party as centrist. Likewise, I don't think labeling it "Centre to Centre-right" is appropriate because it ignores sources that see the party as "Right-wing". So it's a point where we can just leave the center-right behind.--삭은사과 (talk) 10:13, 22 Februaforc020 (UTC)

Here are some sources that descrbie the party as right-wing which is presented by 삭은사과.

References

And here are some sources that describe the party as centrist which is presented by Littlelessleast.

References

I hope those sources can help other users to make progress on the discussion. Jeff6045 (talk) 11:10, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

In other words, the NKP seems to have used the term 'Centrist' because it is also relatively less conservative than the LDP. In fact, the political position of this party doesn't seem to fit in with the 'Centrist'. Whatever your interpretation, I think it's most NPOV-like to simply label the NKP 'Centre-right' as a party that is described as 'Right-wing'. --삭은사과 (talk) 22:25, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

I withdrawed some of my past claims. Because it may have included a brute force logic. I placed what is more appropriate in the “Responses” below . --Littlelessleast (talk) 06:27, 12 May 2020 (UTC)

Responses

Oppose: The CDU does not refer to it as 'Right-wing', but it does not refer to it as 'Centrist'. The CDU is simply marked 'Centre-right'. The NKP should similarly label it 'Center-right'.

The party in question is not based on liberalism and has a fairly conservative value. There are also many sources who described the political party as 'Right-wing'.

• Jeffrey Haynes (2020). Politics of Religion: A Survey.
  • # "Ideologically, the NKP is a right-wing, conservative party with religious goals."

• Anne Mette Fisker-Nielsen (2012). Religion and Politics in Contemporary Japan: Soka Gakkai Youth and Komeito. - 86 page
  • # "Those of the LDP being more right-wing, Komeito pulling more towards the centre and Minshuto having politicians that straddle between the left and right."

• "Japan: Return of the Right". Frontline.
  • # "The LDP will be ruling in coalition with another right-wing party—the Komeito."

• "Japanese Voters Head to Polls in Snap Election". The Diplomat.
  • # "Koike’s party has positioned itself as a conservative alternative to the right-wing LDP-Komeito coalition."

That is why the NKP should be defined as a simple 'Centre-right'.--삭은사과 (talk) 22:10, 22 February 2020 (UTC)

Thank you for your input, but I think two of your sources aren't very good ratings for the Komeito alone for the following reasons, so I think you should adopt the remaining two articles.

> Anne Mette Fisker-Nielsen (2012). Religion and Politics in Contemporary Japan: Soka Gakkai Youth and Komeito. - 86 page

1. "Those of the LDP being more right-wing, Komeito pulling more towards the centre and Minshuto having politicians that straddle between the left and right."

The text does not obviously state that the party is right-wing, but rather states that it is oriented toward a centrist.

> "Japanese Voters Head to Polls in Snap Election". The Diplomat.

1. "Koike’s party has positioned itself as a conservative alternative to the right-wing LDP-Komeito coalition."

The text refers to the entire Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito coalition government and is strongly influenced by the LDP, which has a much larger number of members. It is not an evaluation of the Komeito party alone. --Littlelessleast (talk) 06:21, 12 May 2020 (UTC)

Support:There is even a Japanese article that positions the Komeito party as Center-left.

https://diamond.jp/articles/amp/70206?page=3&skin=amp&  

title: 公明党は安保法制の「歯止め」か「触媒」か (Translate: Is the Komeito party "stop" or "catalyst" in security legislation?)

This part: “今回の安保法制でも、本来「平和主義」の中道左派政党である公明党は“

(Translate:“Even under this security legislation, the Komeito party, which was originally a "pacifist" centre-left party,”)

Author information:

https://diamond.jp/ud/authors/58abbd687765611bd0390000

上久保誠人 立命館大学政策科学部教授 1968年愛媛県生まれ。早稲田大学第一文学部卒業後、伊藤忠商事勤務を経て、英国ウォーリック大学大学院政治・国際学研究科博士課程修了。Ph.D（政治学・国際学、ウォーリック大学）。主な業績は、『逆説の地政学』（晃洋書房）。

Translation: Seito Kamikubo Professor, Ritsumeikan University Born in Ehime Prefecture in 1968. After graduating from Waseda University's First Literature Department, worked at ITOCHU Corporation and completed the doctoral course at the Graduate School of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warwick, UK. Ph.D (Political Science / International Studies, University of Warwick). His main achievement is "Geopolitics of Paradox" (Sakai Shobo).

Littlelessleast (talk) 07:20, 30 March 2020 (UTC)

Therefore, I think we should write not simple “centre-right” but “centre-left to right-wing” or “center to center-right”, because the party's reputation spans “centre-left to right-wing”. However, as mentioned above, two of the four materials that position this party as “right-wing” are not appropriate for the evaluations for the party itself. Littlelessleast (talk) 09:55, 31 March 2020 (UTC)

The political position of a political party should be based on the present, not the past. That's why I think Komeito should only be labeled as a simple "center-right". (Originally the early KMT began with a center-left innovation(革新) party. But now it is quite conservative.)--삭은사과 (talk) 10:41, 31 March 2020 (UTC)

I just went in on a link, but I can't find the article. I think it's a broken link.--삭은사과 (talk) 10:52, 31 March 2020 (UTC)

I largely agree with you. However, Jisho.org is not a proper source because the content of the website is copied from the Wikipedia description. We cannot use the WP description as a source.--Loup and Law (talk) 21:40, 31 March 2020 (UTC)

Thank you for your comments. The reference to 'Jisho.org' as the source is not a debate about the political position of the Komeito Party, so I'll delete it right away.--삭은사과 (talk) 23:09, 31 March 2020 (UTC)

https://diamond.jp/articles/amp/70206?page=3&skin=amp& This is a 2015 article and I think it is available.

The Komeito may have been conservative in recent years, but it is unfair to just write “centre-right” simply because it is sometimes rated as “centrist” or “centre-left” even after 2010. If there are multiple key views, they should be listed together.

Littlelessleast (talk) 01:27, 1 April 2020 (UTC)

Supplement: I translated it as "originally" mechanically because there was “本来” , but in the Japanese article above, this sentence is intended to promote security policy when a center-left political party is involved, and the Komeito party is classified and treated as the same center-left political party as the Social Democratic Party of Japan.

Littlelessleast (talk) 22:27, 1 April 2020 (UTC)

If indeed it is true that the current KMT is described as a 'Center-left' in Japan, I would not object to your opinion that the party's political position should be 'Centre to Centre-right' in consideration of the sources collectively. I didn't know that the current KMT was described as a center-left.--삭은사과 (talk) 14:19, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

Thank you for your consideration . The 2015 article I showed is rated as center-left for the current Komeito and is reliable. I think it's best to make the political position in the infobox "Centre to center-right" and supplement what is sometimes referred to as center-left or right-wing. Littlelessleast (talk) 01:24, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

I have just updated the political position in the infobox. Littlelessleast (talk) 06:48, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

Quotation with no context

I have removed this quote because it just seemed like a confusing non sequitur. I’m copying it here in case someone wants to paraphrase it or otherwise reuse the source.

"In spite of how many authors reiterate the 1960s-era image of Komeito as a party of Gakkai members only (e.g. Baerwald, 1986; Stockwin, 1989; Richardson, 1998; Curtis, 1999; Yoshikawa, 1999; Sado, 2005), scholars who look more closely at the Gakkai and Komeito know that the popular image of the party's exclusivity is inaccurate. Komeito partisans account for about half of the party's electoral support".

—96.8.24.95 (talk) 23:27, 17 March 2021 (UTC)

Political ideology

Hello everyone, in the past few months there's a been a bit of the usual tug-of-war over which terms should be used to describe this party, and in this case it had to do with which ideological markers should be placed into the infobox. I've supported reverting it over to what it was originally before I ever made a single edit on this page, which was conservative liberalism. However, another user has staunchly insisted that it should be social conservatism. With all due respect, in the following I will attempt to make an argument as to why it should either be changed back to conservative liberalism or conservative liberalism should be placed alongside social conservatism. I will first list aspects of the party's platform that are (socially) liberal or at least incongruent with a generalised label of social conservatism, and afterwards I will specifically look at the definition of conservative liberalism and draw parallels between Komeito and it. I typed all this up again after my computer suddenly turned off just before I was finally done with the initial draft, so hopefully my passion for the subject comes through. :)

In the first place, having only social conservatism misleads readers and doesn't present the fuller and more nuanced picture of the party. In fact, this is implicitly stated on the sole citation listed to justify the party as being listed as socially conservative alone, which says that:

"...Because of this political strength, the Liberal Democratic Party has in recent years included the moderate to socially conservative Komeito Party in coalition governments."

However, Komeito has either actively supported or at least shown an openness to legislation which:

• furthers legal gender equality
• would allow married couples to keep separate surnames
• allows for an empress to ascend to the throne
• enhances LGBT rights
• gives permanent resident foreigners the right to vote
• softened LDP-favored language concerning nationalism and patriotism in an education law

It is true that in the above cases, sometimes Komeito will either soften their own goals or comply with LDP wishes, but as others have pointed out, this is likely more to do with the fact that their coalition ally is far more powerful and can exert some influence on Komeito's decisions (indeed, sometimes when Komeito politicians are asked about party policies, they will say as much that they will wait to see what the LDP and Diet will have to say before coming to a conclusion). Moreover, even if it is an expression of their actual values, then it betrays a cautious, centrist conservatism rather than a staunch old-school conservatism that one might expect more from an LDP platform.

Next, I will argue more specifically for the conservative liberal categorisation. In the definition of conservative liberalism on wikipedia, it states that conservative liberals "see that the modern experiment in liberty and self-government has the positive effect of enhancing human dignity," and also "[promote] ordered liberty under God and establishes constitutional safeguards against tyranny." Komeito supports decentralisation and greater prefectural and private sector autonomy (liberty and self-government), and Komeito publications often state an explicit emphasis on the importance of human dignity and the "sanctity" of life, the latter of which also gels well with the religious aspect of "ordered liberty under God." That definition has a strong western slant, but it's not hard to see that if God is replaced with Buddhist ethics, then this aforementioned sentence matches Komeito very closely. This concern with "ordered liberty" also gels well with the importance of the family unit in society which is seen as providing the basis for a society in which individuals can reach their human potential in Komeito publications (such as some of the sources I've listed above in the bullet points). Furthermore, the concern with "constitutional safeguards" might be applied to Komeito well-known status as a cautious buffer on the LDP's aspirations for stronger defense and security measures.

Thanks for reading. LaunchOctopus (talk) 18:05, 16 May 2021 (UTC)

References

Social liberalism

Does the reference in the infobox for social liberalism comply with Wikipedia guidelines and specifically WP:SYNTH? Helper201 (talk) 16:42, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

There is no mention of social liberalism in those sources, therefore it is WP:OR and fails WP:V. The note complies with WP:SYNTH. This could be moved somewhere else in the article, as there is a Foreign Policy ref that actually describes Komeito as socially liberal. Whether social liberalism is due enough to be included in the infobox, that should be left for another discussion. Vacant0 (talk) 18:20, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

since its meant to be social liberalism in the economical spectrum, i would propose that we search for sources which describe them as third way or something similar

since social liberalism is often associated with progressivism Braganza (talk) 11:28, 7 June 2023 (UTC)