Rise and Fall of Japan's LDP

S. Krauss Ellis, J. Pekkanen Robert

Description

After holding power continuously from its inception in 1955 (with the exception of a ten-month hiatus in 1993-1994), Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost control of the national government decisively in September 2009. Despite its defeat, the LDP remains the most successful political party in a democracy in the post-World War II period. In The Rise and Fall of Japan's LDP, Ellis S. Krauss and Robert J. Pekkanen shed light on the puzzle of the LDP's long dominance and abrupt defeat. Several questions about institutional change in party politics are at the core of their investigation: What incentives do different electoral systems provide? How do politicians adapt to new incentives? How much does structure determine behavior, and how much opportunity does structure give politicians to influence outcomes? How adaptable are established political organizations?The electoral system Japan established in 1955 resulted in a half-century of "one-party democracy." But as Krauss and Pekkanen detail, sweeping political reforms in 1994 changed voting rules and other key elements of the electoral system. Both the LDP and its adversaries had to adapt to a new system that gave citizens two votes: one for a party and one for a candidate. Under the leadership of the charismatic Koizumi Junichiro, the LDP managed to maintain its majority in the Japanese Diet, but his successors lost popular support as opposing parties learned how to operate in the new electoral environment. Drawing on the insights of historical institutionalism, Krauss and Pekkanen explain how Japanese politics functioned before and after the 1994 reform and why the persistence of party institutions (factions, PARC, koenkai) and the transformed role of party leadership contributed both to the LDP's success at remaining in power for fifteen years after the reforms and to its eventual downfall. In an epilogue, the authors assess the LDP's prospects in the near and medium term.

Sujets

• Political party
• History of Asia
• Japan

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 juin 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801460029
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

The Rise and Fall of Japan’s LDP

The Rise and Fall of Japan’s LDP

Political Party Organizations as Historical Institutions

Ellis S. Krauss and Robert J. Pekkanen

Cornell University Press Ithaca and London

Cornell University Press gratefully acknowledges receipt of a grant from the School of International Relations and Pacic Studies at the University of California, San Diego, which assisted in the publication of this book.

Copyright © 2011 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For informa- tion, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2011 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2011

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Krauss, Ellis S.  The rise and fall of Japans LDP : political party organizations as historical institutions / Ellis S. Krauss and Robert J. Pekkanen.  pc.m.  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 978-0-8014-4932-1 (cloth : alk. paper)  ISBN 978-0-8014-7682-2 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. JiyuMinshutoHistory. 2. JapanPoliticsandgovernment 1945I.PekkanenR,obert.II.Title. JQ169J85.K732011 324.252'04dc22 2010035753

Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally respon- sible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood bers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.

Clotphrinting Paperbackprinting

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

For Martha and for Sophia

Contents

Figures and Tables Acknowledgments xiii Abbreviations xvii

 1. The Liberal Democratic Party in Time 2.The Ko¯enkai: Origin and Development of a Vote-Mobilization Machine 3.TheK¯oenkaiToday:InstitutionalChange 4.Factions under the Single Nontransferable Vote System  5. Factions Today 6.The Policy Affairs Research Council and Policymaking under the 55 System 7.The Policy Affairs Research Council after Reform 8.Party Leadership in the 55 System 9.The Changing Role of Party Leadership 10. The Liberal Democratic Party out of Time?

Coded Interviews References Index

ix

1

29 65 100 128

154 188 203 226 260

289 293 311

Figures and Tables

Figures 2.1 Ko¯enkai membership by party, 19711993, 34 2.2Earlyk¯oenkaiofYoshizo¯Hashimoto(OldIbaraki3rdDistrict),1960s,40 2.3 Ko¯enkai of Yoshizo¯ Hashimoto (Old Ibaraki 3rd District), 1980s, 41 2.4reecPefotngaminLDPrswistedsnarctaeruarbuormerefhoa hereditary politicians, 19732009, 44 2.5 Ko¯enkai membership rates of LDP supporters, 19671993 (%), 56 3.1 Overlap of ko¯enkai, campaign, and LDP organizations, 70 3.2 Kagawa Prefecture: Three electoral districts under the new electoral system, 75 3.3 Kagawa Prefecture: Two electoral districts under the old electoral system, 75 3.4 Ko¯enkai membership by gender, 19722005, 92 3.5K¯oenkaimembershipbyage,19722005,92 3.6 Ko¯enkai membership by party, 19722005 (proportion of all party supporters),95 3.7LDPk¯oenkaimembershiprates,19672005(%ofallsupporters),98 4.1 Districts with multiple LDP-endorsed candidates of same faction running, 19581993 (% of all districts with two or more LDP-endorsed candidates running), 119 4.2 Districts in which each of the ve major factions ran multiple candidates (including independent candidates), 19581993 (% of all the districts where the LDP nominated at least two candidates), 122