Democratic Reform in Japan: Assessing the Impact

by Martin, Sherry L.

• ISBN13: 9781588265814
• ISBN10: 1588265811
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-07-15
• Publisher: Lynne Rienner

Summary

Widespread dissatisfaction in Japan in the 1990s set the stage for numerous political reforms aimed at enhancing representation and accountability. But have these reforms in fact improved the quality of Japanese democracy? Through the lens of this question, the authors explore contemporary Japanese politics at the national, local, and grassroots levels. Their systematic analysis of when and how citizens attempt to create and use new opportunities to articulate political interests offers insights not only on the current state of Japanese democracy, but also on the dynamics of political behavior over all.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures
Introduction	p. 1
The National Level
Reforming the Liberal Democratic Party	p. 11
Campaign Behavior: The Limits to Change	p. 39
Diet Members and Seat Inheritance: Keeping It in the Family	p. 65
Policy Preferences and Party Platforms: What Voters Want vs. What Voters Get	p. 81
Reforming the Bureaucracy	p. 101
The Local Level
Keeping Women in Their Place: Penetrating Male-dominated Urban and Rural Assemblies	p. 125
Prefectural Politics: Party and Electoral Stagnation	p. 151
The Potential and Limits of Antiparty Electoral Movements in Local Politics	p. 175
Civil Society and Democracy: Reforming Nonprofit Organization Law	p. 193
Conclusion
Contemporary Japanese Democracy	p. 213
List of Acronyms	p. 221
References	p. 223
Index	p. 241
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