Social Democratic Party - shakaiminshuto/shaminto

Japanese: 社会民主党 - しゃかいみんしゅとう/しゃみんとう

At the 64th convention of the Japan Socialist Party in January 1996, the party changed its name to the Social Democratic Party. This marked the end of the party's half-century history, which was founded in November 1945. The SDP formed a coalition with the LDP and the New Party Sakigake during the time when Chairman Murayama Tomiichi was Prime Minister and during the administration of Hashimoto Ryutaro, but withdrew from the coalition ahead of the July 1998 House of Councillors election. In the general election of June 2000, the party was said to be in danger of being dissolved, but it increased its seats from 14 to 19. It is believed that the support of party leader Doi Takako, who emphasized "constitutional protection" and "politics that is kind to the weak," garnered support. Ten of the winners, more than half, were women. At the party convention in July, Doi and Secretary-General Fuchigami Sadao were reappointed, and a woman, Representative Tsujimoto Kiyomi, was chosen as the chairperson of the Policy Research Council. In the July 2001 House of Councillors election, the party reduced its seven seats up for re-election to three. In July 2003, Tsujimoto Kiyomi, former chair of the Policy Research Council, who had resigned from his seat in parliament over a scandal involving secretary salaries, and a former secretary to party leader Doi, were arrested and indicted on suspicion of fraud, causing turmoil within the party, including the question of Doi's responsibility. In the general election of November 2003, the party's seats dropped dramatically from 18 to 6, Doi resigned as party leader, and Fukushima Mizuho, who had been secretary-general, became party leader, with Mataichi Seiji taking over as secretary-general. Fukushima called for a "revival of the party," and in the 2004 House of Councillors election the party maintained the two seats up for re-election, but the party's decline has not been halted. In the 2005 general election, the party increased its seats from five to seven. Tsujimoto regained her seats.

(Hoshihiro Asahi Shimbun reporter / 2007)

Social Democratic Party

A center-left party in Europe. Generally, it is a force centered on moderate left-wing parties in Western European countries that were members of the Socialist International, which was established in 1889. It has advocated a gradual social reform line that accepts parliamentary systems, drawing a line from Soviet-style communism. This line was confirmed in the Frankfurt Declaration of the International in 1951. After the end of the Cold War, communist parties in Eastern Europe changed their names to socialist parties or social democratic parties. Historically, the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) was the most powerful party, and in 1989, after the Cold War, it announced the Berlin Programme, and the International also published the Stockholm Declaration, introducing new ideas such as "freedom, justice and solidarity." In the late 1990s, the Jospin Socialist Party in France, Schröder's Social Democratic Party in Germany, and Blair's Labour Party in the UK each established governments and advocated a center-left line. At one time, this force was in power in 13 of the 15 EU member states, including the Social Democratic parties of Sweden and Finland, which came to power in the mid-1990s. In the European Parliament, they have formed the European Socialist Group, a coalition of social democratic parties from various countries.

(Watanabe Hirotaka, Minister of the Embassy of Japan in France / 2007)

Source : "Chiezo" published by Asahi Shimbun Publications Co., Ltd. About Chiezo

Japanese:

1996年1月の日本社会党64回大会で社会民主党に党名を変更した。これで45年11月に結成された社会党は半世紀の歴史の幕を閉じた。社民党は村山富市委員長が首相だった時期と橋本龍太郎政権当時に自民党、新党さきがけと連立を組んだが、98年7月の参院選を控えて連立を離脱した。2000年6月の総選挙では「解党の危機」といわれたが、14議席から19議席に増やした。土井たか子党首が「護憲」や「弱者にやさしい政治」などを重点的に訴えたのが支持を集めたとみられる。当選者のうち半数を超える10人が女性だった。7月の党大会では土井党首と渕上貞雄幹事長を再任、政審会長に女性の辻元清美代議士を選んだ。01年7月の参院選では、改選7議席を3議席に減らした。03年7月には秘書給与疑惑で議員辞職した辻元清美前政審会長と土井党首の元秘書らが詐欺容疑で逮捕、起訴され、土井の責任問題を含めて党内は混乱した。03年11月の総選挙では、議席が18から6に激減、土井は党首を辞任し、幹事長だった福島瑞穂が党首に、幹事長には又市征治が就任した。福島は「党再生」を訴え、04年の参院選では改選2議席を維持したが、退潮傾向に歯止めはかかっていない。05年総選挙では5議席から7議席に伸ばした。辻元は議席を回復した。

(星浩朝日新聞記者／ 2007年)

社会民主党

ヨーロッパにおける中道左派政党。一般に1889年に成立した社会主義インターに加盟していた西欧諸国の穏健左派政党を中心とする勢力。ソ連型共産主義とは一線を画し、議会制を容認する漸進的な社会改革路線を標榜してきた。この路線は1951年の同インターのフランクフルト宣言で確認された。冷戦終結後、東欧の共産主義政党が社会党や社民党に名称を変更している。歴史的にドイツ社会民主党(SPD)は最大勢力を誇り、冷戦後の89年にはベルリン綱領を発表、同インターもストックホルム宣言を公表して「自由公正連帯」などの新たな理念を導入した。90年代終盤にはフランスでジョスパン社会党、ドイツでシュレーダー社会民主党、英国でブレア労働党がそれぞれ政権を樹立し、中道左派路線を提唱した。90年代半ばに政権についたスウェーデンやフィンランドなどの社民党と合わせてEU加盟15カ国中13カ国が同勢力だった時期もある。欧州議会では、各国の社会民主主義政党の連合である「ヨーロッパ社会主義グループ」を結成している。

(渡邊啓貴駐仏日本大使館公使／ 2007年)

出典　(株)朝日新聞出版発行「知恵蔵」知恵蔵について　情報

<<: Social Democratic Union

>>: Social democracy - shakaiminshushugi (English spelling) social democracy English