Party Politics in Japan: Political Chaos and Stalemate in the 21st Century (Routledge Contemporary Japan Series)
Language: English
Pages: 226
ISBN: 1138013935
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
The Japanese political system is a parliamentary democracy and was the first western style government in Asia when the parliamentary system was adopted in the 1880s. It has a multiparty system, free elections, and a parliament that functions much the same way that any other democratic parliament functions, however for much of its existence the Japanese party system has been dominated by one party. This fact is crucial to understanding contemporary politics in Japan, especially since the long term ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, is once again back in power.
This book presents an up-to-date analysis of the political parties that make up the Japanese party system and their impact on Japanese politics and government. Given that the executive branch is selected as a result of the pattern of party numbers in the parliament, to understand Japanese politics and policy, one must first know the nature of the ruling and opposition parties and their leaders. Indeed, in the past decade the quality of Japan’s government has been closely associated with the strengths and weaknesses of Japan’s prime ministers and the dominant party in the system. This book focuses on a central question: why Japanese politics and government has been so dysfunctional in the past two decades? With this question in mind, the chapters provide key background information on Japanese politics and political parties; discuss each of the major political parties that have governed Japan since 1955; and finally, examine the December 2012 House of Representatives elections that returned the LDP to power, and the differences between the First (1955-1993) and the Second Post War Party Systems (1993- ).
Party Politics in Japan
provides a comprehensive analysis of the past sixty years of Japanese party politics. As such, it will be of great interest to students and scholars of Japanese politics and Asian politics, as well as to those interested in political parties and political systems more broadly.
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yamikenkin—literally, “shady donations.” Black markets for political funds operate in a variety of settings—including decisions concerning government contracts, payments, and administrative approvals, as well as privileged information. For example, in the late 1990s, lower house member Nakajima Yōjirō allegedly helped steer a government contract to build amphibious search-and-rescue aircraft to Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. in exchange for ¥43 million in payments. Nakajima resigned his Diet seat and
regular party of the party system. While Japan had had a modern form of government since the late 1880s, the national government in its current parliamentary form dates only from 1948 with the adoption of the new post-World War II constitution. While on occasion we will refer to events or political actors from the earlier eras of Japanese politics and history, the central focus of this book is on Japanese party politics in the twentyfirst century. After we discuss several of the key party
hand, between central government and the regions. The DPJ also champions abolishing wasteful public spending, deregulation (combined with the simultaneous protection of consumer interests), fostering both new industries and small and medium-sized enterprises, consolidating the agricultural sector, and maintaining an effective system of social security provision (cf. DPJ 1998b).15 As indicated by its first official programmatic and policy-related party documents, the DPJ tried after its inception
citizens were entitled to (regardless of lost pension data), a massively beefed-up child allowance and a new comprehensive income support system for agricultural households (cf. DPJ 2007). How these pledges were to be financed remained however opaque. Even more irresponsibly, Ozawa saw to it that the DPJ dropped their plan—introduced by former party leader Okada in 2005—to raise the consumption tax in order to finance Japan’s rising pensionrelated expenditures. Since the 1990s Ozawa had been one
retaining power since 1955? Taniguchi and his 140 A. Nakamura and R.J. Hrebenar Table 5.1 HR national level party seats, 2000–2012 Party 2000 2003 2005 2009 2012 LDP DPJ CGP JCP SDPJ 233 127 31 20 19 237 117 34 9 6 296 113 31 9 7 119 308 21 9 7 294 57 21 9 3 Others* Source: Japan Politics Central (2013). Note * Independents and minor parties averaged 13–21 seats per election. LDP HR seats in the 1990s were 275 (1990); 223 (1993) and 239 (1996). colleagues at Tokyo University (and