Japan Decides 2014 The Japanese General Election

by Pekkanen, Robert J.; Reed, Steven R.; Scheiner, Ethan

• ISBN13: 9781137551993
• ISBN10: 1137551992
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-10-30
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The 2014 Japanese election was framed as a referendum on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's signature 'Abenomics' policies. This 'bait and switch' election saw the focus on Abenomics give little indication of the important policy changes to come immediately after the polls closed. Collecting original and high-quality analysis by top scholars from Japan, the United States, Australia, and Europe, this volume analyzes and explains the results of the 2014 election. Chapters examine each of the major political parties, central policy issues, campaign practices, questions of gender, and consider how the results were used as a mandate for massive policy reforms. The text reveals the true significance of this election, provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of Japanese Politics and is vital reading for anyone interested in Japanese electoral politics, as well as comparative electoral practices.

Author Biography

Robert Pekkanen is Associate Professor at the Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, USA. He is the author of a number of articles and books on Japanese and comparative politics, including Japan's Dual Civil Society and The Rise and Fall of Japan's LDP: Political Party Organizations as Historical Institutions.

Steven R. Reed is Professor of Modern Government at Chuo University, Japan. He has written widely on Japanese and comparative parties and elections. Most recently, he has edited Japanese Electoral Politics: Creating a New Party System, and Political Change in Japan: Electoral Behavior, Party Realignment, and the Koizumi Reforms.

Ethan Scheiner is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Davis, USA. His is the author of Democracy Without Competition in Japan: Opposition Failure in a One-Party Dominant State and Electoral Systems and Political Context: How the Effects of Rules Vary Across New and Established Democracies.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Notes on Contributors
PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Introduction: Take a Second Look at the 2014 Election, it's Worth it; Robert J. Pekkanen, Steven R. Reed, and Ethan Scheiner
2. Japanese Politics Between the 2012 and 2014 Elections; Robert J. Pekkanen, Steven R. Reed, and Daniel M. Smith
3. The 2014 Japanese Election Results: The Opposition Cooperates, but Fails to Inspire; Ethan Scheiner, Daniel M. Smith, Michael F. Thies
PART II: POLITICAL PARTIES
4. LDP: Return to Dominance? Or a Golden Age Built on Sand?; Masahisa Endo and Robert J. Pekkanen
5. The Democratic Party of Japan: Surviving to Fight Another Day; Fumi Ikeda and Steven R. Reed
6. From Third Force to Third Party: Duverger's Revenge?; Robert J. Pekkanen and Steven R. Reed
7. Komeito - Rock 'n Row the Coalition Boat; Axel Klein
PART III: CAMPAIGNING, CANDIDATES, DISTRICTS
8. The Abe Cabinet and Public Opinion - How Abe won re-election by narrowing public debate; Yukio Maeda
9. Did Abe's Coattails Help the LDP Win?; Kenneth Mori McElwain
10. Candidates in the 2014 Election: Better Coordination and Higher Candidate Quality; Daniel M. Smith
11. Women and the 2014 Lower House Election; Alisa Gaunder
12. Netizens Decide 2014? A Look at Party Campaigning Online; Joshua A. Williams and Douglas Miller
PART IV: GOVERNANCE AND POLICY
13. Abenomics in the 2014 election: Showing the money (supply) and little else; Greg Noble
14. The Kantei vs. the LDP: Agricultural Reform, the Organized Vote, and the 2014 Election; Patricia L. Maclachlan and Kay Shimizu
15. Regional inequality in 2014: Urgent issue, tepid election; Ken Hijino
16. Abenomics and Japan's Energy Conundrum; Llewelyn Hughes
17. Nationalism and the 2014 Snap Election: the Abe Conundrum; Jeff Kingston
18. Unraveling the Abe Conundrum in Foreign Policy: The Mystery of the 'the Dog that Didn't Bark"; Ellis S. Krauss
19. The 2014 Election in Okinawa; Koji Kagotani
20. Japan's Stealth Decision 2014: The Trans-Pacific Partnership; Saori N. Katada and Scott Wilbur
PART V: CONCLUSION
21. Conclusion: Japan's Bait and Switch Election 2014; Robert J. Pekkanen, Steven R. Reed, and Ethan Scheiner
Appendix: Table of Contents from Japan Decides 2012
Index