Social Democratic Party (Japan)

The Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 Shakai Minshu-tō, often abbreviated to 社民党 Shamin-tō), also known as the Social Democratic Party of Japan (日本社会党, abbreviated to SDPJ in English) and Japan Socialist Party (JSP) at various points until 1996, is a political party that advocates the establishment of a socialist Japan. It now defines itself as a social-democratic party. The party was reformed in January 1996 by the majority of legislators of the former Social Democratic Party of Japan, which was Japan's largest opposition party in the 1955 system. However, after that, most of the legislators joined the Democratic Party of Japan. Five leftist legislators who did not join the SDP formed the New Socialist Party, which lost all its seats in the following elections. The JSP enjoyed a short period of government participation from 1993 to 1994 (as part of the Hosokawa cabinet) and later formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) under 81st Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama (from the JSP) from 1994 to January 1996. The SDP was part of ruling coalitions between January and November 1996 (first Hashimoto cabinet) and from 2009 to 2010 (Hatoyama cabinet). After the Japanese House of Councillors election, 2013, it has five representatives in the national diet, two in the lower house and three in the upper house.