Local politician Yuka Ogata is in the news again. This time, the issue is whether or not she should be allowed to use her own name as her “group name” (会派名) in the city council.
First, before I go on, perhaps I should help people who aren’t familiar with Ms. Ogata catch up on the issues that have put her in the news. Here are a couple of posts from this page that should help:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2148510448555709 https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/2157518040988283
If you understand Japanese, here’s a TV report about the most recent “group name” flap:
https://www.tku.co.jp/news/緒方市議%E3%80%80会派名問題で質問書提出/
A good Japanese newspaper article can be read here:
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190516-00010007-nishinpc-soci
As has been the case with other issues where Ms. Ogata has stood up to the powers-that-be in the council, there are no clear rules about what constitutes an acceptable name. Ms. Ogata received a formal message saying that they wanted her to choose a name that conforms to “common sense” (常識) but did not explain what constitutes common sense or why it’s important.
https://www.facebook.com/yuukahagukumu/photos/a.1029420670419383/2629887217039379/?type=3&theater
Ms. Ogata is saying that using her own name is much easier for ordinary people to understand. I think it would be hard to argue that she’s wrong about that. The other two people who are in “single-person groups” like Ms. Ogata have designated Reiwa (令和) and Riou (履応) respectively as their group names. There’s nothing wrong with those names but you really have to be paying attention to know who belongs to each of those “groups.”
Ms. Ogata points to clarity and ease of understanding as the primary advantage of her group name choice but I suspect that it’s exactly that clarity and recognizability that is considered to be inappropriate. Anything that gives the name “Yuka Ogata” more prominence might lead to more name recognition and that might lead to an advantage in an election.
At the national level, the use of personal names as party names has gotten shot down in some instances but deemed OK in others:
https://seijiyama.jp/article/news/nws20151106-003.html
So, there is some precedent for saying “no” to the use of an individual’s name in such an instance.
Ms. Ogata has said that she will choose a group name other than her own name if she can receive a logical explanation of why an individual name is inappropriate. What she objects to is the powers-that-be, who have a demonstrated history of capriciousness, giving “common sense” as their only justification for their enforcement of an unwritten rule. “Common sense” can mean different things to different people.
I’m sure there are a variety of opinions about this issue and that I don’t have a monopoly on the truth. Nonetheless, personally, I’m glad that Ms. Ogata is not settling for demands for “common sense” and is forcing those in power to clarify the reasons for their policies. Ambiguity in the exercise of political power tends to work to the advantage of the dominant group and to the disadvantage of minorities and the powerless. Conversely, the clarity brought by laws and systems that demand accountability can level the playing field; such systems can help minorities and those without political power prevail on occasion.
– Kirk