1st Edition
The Failure of Political Opposition in Japan Implications for Democracy and a Vision of the Future
This book explores the party politics and political system of Japan, which since 1955 has been dominated by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), with a particular focus on the evolution of LDP governments between the 1990s and 2010s.
Through its evaluation of the legacy of post-war opposition parties, the politics of electoral reform and the crucial importance of foreign policy (especially in relation to China), this volume argues that Japan has ‘lost its way’, and that for recovery it needs to move away from single-party dominance. Despite the failures of the Democratic Party (DPJ) government 2009-2012, the reasons for which are explored, the need to combat economic, social and political stagnation requires a more pluralist political environment, in which LDP monopoly of policy and personnel can be realistically challenged by vigorous opposition parties. Comparisons are made with other parliamentary democracies, in particular the United Kingdom, Australia and Sweden, to indicate that single-party dominance is an inadequate substitute for competition between genuine political alternatives.
As an analysis of opposition party politics in post-war Japan, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Political Science, International Relations, Asian Studies and Japanese Studies.
1. Japan’s One-Sided Democracy 2. Rescuing Japanese Opposition Policy Visions from Oblivion 3. Party in Power: the Liberal Democrats and their grip on government 4. The Opposition in Power, 2009-2012: Why did the DPJ government fail 5. The opposition in the twenty-tens: confronting the Abe regime 6. The Opposition and the Electoral System 7. The Political Opposition and Leadership 8. The Opposition and Attitudes towards Foreign and Defence Policy 9. Towards a more Balanced System and more Ambitious Agenda
Biography
Arthur Stockwin is a former Nissan Professor of Modern Japanese Studies and the former Director of the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, University of Oxford. He is also Emeritus Fellow at St Antony's College.
