Japan's New Party System

by Hrebenar, Ronald J.; Berton, Peter; Nakamura, Akira; Stockwin, J. A. A.

• ISBN13: 9780813330563
• ISBN10: 0813330564
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-04-01
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

The recent and dramatic changes in the configurations and coalitions of Japan's political parties have prompted Ronald Hrebenar to reevaluate his previous book,The Japanese Party System.In the summer of 1993, Japanese politics changed fundamentally from the pattern which had been the norm since 1955. No longer does the Liberal Democratic Party (LPD) rule national-level politics without the need to resort to coalitions and lesser parties. Even more significant are the two non-LDP governments formed under the prime ministerships of Hosokawa and Hata. No longer is the opposition dominated by the "never to govern" Japan Socialist party. By December 1994 a new opposition party emerged from nine former opposition parties to move Japan toward a two-party system.In this book, Hrebenar explores the political attitudes, election laws, and the role of political money in Japan, historically as well as in context of the post-1993 changes. Discussion turns to the LDP and how its fragmentation led to the these changes. Coverage of the most recent Japanese election makes this an invaluable text for students of Japan and its political systems.

Author Biography

Ronald J. Hrebenar is professor of political science at the University of Utah and the author of several books, including The Japanese Party System: Second Edition (Westview Press 1992). Matthew J. Burbank is assistant professor of political science at the University of Utah. Robert C. Benedict is associate professor of political science at the University of Utah.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	ix
Preface	xi
Note on Personal Names	xiii
The Changing Postwar Party System	1	(36)
Japanese Party Politics in the Late 1990s	1	(3)
The Two Japanese Party Systems: 1955 and 1993	4	(1)
From a One-and-One-Half Party System to a Multiparty System	5	(2)
Comparing the Prewar and Postwar Party Systems	7	(1)
A One-Party-Predominant System	8	(2)
The Permanent Opposition	10	(7)
Japanese Political Culture and Voting Behavior	17	(12)
The Structure of Japanese Parties	29	(2)
Notes	31	(6)
Rules of the Game: The Impact of the Electoral System on Political Parties	37	(22)
The First Party System and the Domination of the LDP	37	(1)
The Impact of the Public Offices Elections Law	38	(7)
The Continuing Malaportionment Problem	45	(4)
The 1994 Electoral System Reforms	49	(1)
The Politics of Campaign Regulation	50	(3)
The Expansion of the Japanese Electorate	53	(2)
Notes	55	(4)
The Money Base of Japanese Politics	59	(26)
The Political Funds Control Law	59	(1)
Disclosures of the PFCL Political Funds Reports	60	(6)
An Expensive Style of Politics	66	(3)
Fund-Raising in Japan	69	(3)
Reforming the PFCL: 1975 and 1994	72	(5)
The Recruit Cosmos Scandal	77	(2)
The 1994 Reforms	79	(2)
The Continuing Problem of Political Finance in Japan	81	(1)
Notes	82	(3)
The Liberal Democratic Party: Still the Most Powerful Party in Japan	85	(64)
LDP History	94	(7)
The Development of the First Party System	101	(1)
The Impact of Electoral Law on the LDP	102	(1)
LDP Electoral Support: A Trend Analysis from a Historical Perspective	103	(3)
LDP Factionalism	106	(4)
LDP Factional Fragmentation in 1998	110	(2)
Why Are There Factions in the LDP?	112	(10)
The Functions and Limitations of LDP Factions	122	(4)
Appraisals of the LDP's Factional Politics	126	(3)
The Formal Organization of the LDP	129	(3)
Changing the Fundamentals of Policymaking in Japan and the LDP?	132	(9)
The LDP and the Future of Japanese Politics	141	(1)
Notes	142	(7)
The New Parties of the Second Party System	149	(18)
Hosokawa's Japan New Party and the Vision of Alternative Conservative Parties	150	(2)
Harbinger Party (Sakigake): Another LDP Splinter	152	(1)
Ozawa's and Hata's Shinshinto: The Long-Awaited Umbrella Opposition Party	153	(4)
Democratic Party (Minshuto) of Kan and Hatoyama	157	(2)
Ozawa's Liberal Party	159	(1)
Organized Labor, the DSP, and the Second Party System	160	(5)
Conclusions	165	(1)
Notes	166	(1)
The Komeito Returns: The Party of ``Buddhist Democracy''	167	(42)
The Soka Gakkai-Komeito Connection	167	(1)
The Rise of the Soka Gakkai	168	(6)
The Soka Gakkai Creates a Political Party	174	(3)
The Soka Gakkai Scandals	177	(1)
The Soka Gakkai--JCP Accord	178	(2)
The Organizational Strength of the Komeito	180	(5)
Komeito Support as Measured in Elections and Public Opinion Polls	185	(5)
Komeito's Policy Positions	190	(2)
Middle-of-the-Road Reformism	192	(1)
Humanitarian Socialism	193	(1)
Toward a Coalition Government	194	(1)
Komeito Shifts on Security and Defense Questions (1978--1989)	195	(1)
Komeito Policy Debates in the 1990s	196	(1)
Komeito in the Second Party System	197	(3)
The Role of the Komeito in Japanese Politics	200	(3)
Notes	203	(6)
The Social Democratic Party (Formerly Socialist Party): A Turbulent Odyssey	209	(44)
Party History	213	(18)
Party Structure and Organization	231	(14)
Conclusions	245	(3)
Notes	248	(5)
Japanese Communist Party: The ``Lovable'' Party	253	(48)
Historical Background	253	(1)
Postwar Developments to 1955	254	(1)
The Miyamoto Line: A Party Dictator Selling Parliamentary Democracy	255	(2)
Evolution of Policy	257	(5)
JCP Policies and Problems as Expressed in Party Congresses	262	(4)
The Party	266	(16)
Conclusions	282	(9)
Acknowledgments	291	(1)
Notes	292	(9)
The Future of the Second Japanese Party System	301	(10)
The Characteristics of the Second Party System	301	(4)
The Future of Japanese Party Politics	305	(1)
The Dealignment Future?	306	(3)
Notes	309	(2)
Appendixes	311	(8)
Bibliography	319	(4)
Index	323