IRI-2020-01 Japan's Foreign Policymaking Process and Power Shift
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Growing Democracy in Japan: the Parliamentary Cabinet System Since 1868
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Kentucky University of Kentucky UKnowledge Asian Studies Race, Ethnicity, and Post-Colonial Studies 5-15-2014 Growing Democracy in Japan: The Parliamentary Cabinet System since 1868 Brian Woodall Georgia Institute of Technology Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Woodall, Brian, "Growing Democracy in Japan: The Parliamentary Cabinet System since 1868" (2014). Asian Studies. 4. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_asian_studies/4 Growing Democracy in Japan Growing Democracy in Japan The Parliamentary Cabinet System since 1868 Brian Woodall Due to variations in the technical specifications of different electronic reading devices, some elements of this ebook may not appear as they do in the print edition. Readers are encouraged to experiment with user settings for optimum results. Copyright © 2014 by The University Press of Kentucky Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. All rights reserved. Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008 www.kentuckypress.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Woodall, Brian. -
The Liberal Democratic Party: Still the Most Powerful Party in Japan
The Liberal Democratic Party: Still the Most Powerful Party in Japan Ronald J. Hrebenar and Akira Nakamura The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was the national-level ruling party of Japan throughout the entire First Party System (1955–1993). Among the politi- cal systems of non-Socialist developed nations, Japan is unique in that except for a short period after World War II, when a Socialist-centered coalition gov- ernment ruled Japan in 1947–1948, conservative forces have continuously held power on the national level. In 1955, when two conservative parties merged to form the LDP, conservative rule was concentrated within that single organiza- tion and maintained its reign as the governing party for thirty-eight years. It lost its majority in the weak House of Councillors (HC) in the 1989 elections and then lost its control of the crucial House of Representatives (HR) in 1993. However, it returned to the cabinet in January 1996 and gained a majority of HR seats in September 1997. Since the fall of 1997, the LDP has returned to its long-term position as the sole ruling party on the Japanese national level of politics. However shaky the LDP’s current hold, its record is certainly un- precedented among the ruling democratic parties in the world. All of its com- petition for the “years in power” record have fallen by the sidelines over the decades. The Socialist Party of Sweden and the Christian Democratic Party of Italy have both fallen on hard times in recent years, and whereas the Socialists have managed to regain power in Sweden in a coalition, the CDP of Italy has self-destructed while the leftists have run Italy since 1996. -
Japan's Way Forward: the Prospects for Political Leadership and The
From Looking for Leadership: The Dilemma of Political Leadership in Japan, 2015 Japan’s Way Forward: 8 The Prospects for Political Leadership and the International Implications James GANNON and Ryo SAHASHI he success that Shinzo Abe had after his 2012 election in breaking Japan’s pattern of one-year premierships offered hope to some that a new era of effective political leadership was at hand for Tthe country. However, it appears that any respite from Japan’s “leadership deficit” will be temporary. As the authors of this volume argue, there are bound to be exceptions to the parade of short-lived prime ministers who struggle to advance their agendas—strong premiers such as Yasuhiro Nakasone, Junichiro Koizumi, and Abe are likely to emerge from time to time—but without further changes to the political system, powerful institutional factors will continue to make it difficult for prime ministers to exercise political leadership in a sustained and effective manner. Of course, Japan has never been renowned for having charismatic, strong political leaders. However, the challenges associated with political leadership are particularly worrying now because over the past quarter century, societal shifts, political reform, and voter expectations have elevated the profile of Japan’s prime minister, making the individual holding that post and the performance of that person increasingly conse- quential. Furthermore, in recent decades, the rise of summit diplomacy James Gannon is the executive director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), and Ryo Sahashi is an associate professor at Kanagawa University. 181 182 LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP and advances in communications technology have expanded the diplo- matic role of heads of government. -
The History Problem: the Politics of War
History / Sociology SAITO … CONTINUED FROM FRONT FLAP … HIRO SAITO “Hiro Saito offers a timely and well-researched analysis of East Asia’s never-ending cycle of blame and denial, distortion and obfuscation concerning the region’s shared history of violence and destruction during the first half of the twentieth SEVENTY YEARS is practiced as a collective endeavor by both century. In The History Problem Saito smartly introduces the have passed since the end perpetrators and victims, Saito argues, a res- central ‘us-versus-them’ issues and confronts readers with the of the Asia-Pacific War, yet Japan remains olution of the history problem—and eventual multiple layers that bind the East Asian countries involved embroiled in controversy with its neighbors reconciliation—will finally become possible. to show how these problems are mutually constituted across over the war’s commemoration. Among the THE HISTORY PROBLEM THE HISTORY The History Problem examines a vast borders and generations. He argues that the inextricable many points of contention between Japan, knots that constrain these problems could be less like a hang- corpus of historical material in both English China, and South Korea are interpretations man’s noose and more of a supportive web if there were the and Japanese, offering provocative findings political will to determine the virtues of peaceful coexistence. of the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, apologies and that challenge orthodox explanations. Written Anything less, he explains, follows an increasingly perilous compensation for foreign victims of Japanese in clear and accessible prose, this uniquely path forward on which nationalist impulses are encouraged aggression, prime ministerial visits to the interdisciplinary book will appeal to sociol- to derail cosmopolitan efforts at engagement. -
Noda Marches On; Both Sides Distracted?
Comparative Connections A Triannual E-Journal on East Asian Bilateral Relations US-Japan Relations: Noda Marches On; Both Sides Distracted? Michael J. Green, CSIS/Georgetown University Nicholas Szechenyi, CSIS Prime Minister Noda advanced a legislative package on tax and social security reform but faced stiff political headwinds in the form of a frustrated public and a jaded opposition steeling for an election. Japanese concerns over the safety of the MV-22 Osprey aircraft scheduled for deployment in Okinawa dominated the bilateral agenda – at least in the media – and tested the mettle of Japan’s widely-respected new defense minister. The two governments agreed to continue consultations on Japan’s interest in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) but political paralysis in Japan and presidential politics in the United States could complicate efforts to make progress in the near term. Two reports issued over the summer addressing US force posture strategy in the Asia-Pacific and the agenda for US-Japan alliance, respectively, focused on the future trajectory for the bilateral relationship. Noda persists in the face of political uncertainty Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko continued to press forward with a domestic agenda centered on a consumption tax increase to shore up Japan’s public finances, support for nuclear energy, and Japan’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations to spur economic growth. The lack of consensus on these issues in his ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and among the public kept his approval rating close to 30 percent and Noda reshuffled his Cabinet in June for the second time since he took office last fall in an attempt to turn the tide. -
History and the State in Postwar Japan
Volume 16 | Issue 9 | Number 1 | Article ID 5140 | May 01, 2018 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus History and the State in Postwar Japan Hatano Sumio, translated by Christopher W. A. Szpilman and with an introduction by Sven Saaler and Christopher W. A. Szpilman Introduction The Handbook is divided into four sections, “Nation, Empire and Borders,” “Ideologies and The Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese the Political System,” “Economy and Society,” 1 History, a concise introduction to Japanese and “Historical Legacies and Memory.” The history between the middle of the nineteenth first three address the history of the political century and the end of the twentieth, was system, international relations, society, published in late 2017. In preparing the work, economy, environment, race and gender. The the editors were fortunate to obtain the final section consists of three chapters that cooperation of 30 historians from Japan, address the important and, given the current Europe, Australia and the U.S., who provided situation in East Asia, highly relevant issues of succinct yet comprehensive overviews of their historical memory, war responsibility, historical field of expertise. revisionism and Japan’s not always successful efforts to come to terms with its own past. This article is by Hatano Sumio, professor emeritus at the University of Tsukuba. Professor Hatano is Director-General of the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR); he chaired the Editorial Committee of the Nihon gaikō bunsho (Diplomatic Documents of Japan) series published by the Japanese The Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese History Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and between 2008 and 2011 he was a member of the Japan-China Joint History Research Committee. -
The Changing Nature of Bureaucracy and Governing Structure in Japan
Washington International Law Journal Volume 28 Number 2 4-1-2019 The Changing Nature of Bureaucracy and Governing Structure in Japan Mayu Terada Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wilj Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, President/Executive Department Commons, and the Public Law and Legal Theory Commons Recommended Citation Mayu Terada, The Changing Nature of Bureaucracy and Governing Structure in Japan, 28 Wash. L. Rev. 431 (2019). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wilj/vol28/iss2/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at UW Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington International Law Journal by an authorized editor of UW Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Compilation © 2019 Washington International Law Journal Association THE CHANGING NATURE OF BUREAUCRACY AND GOVERNING STRUCTURE IN JAPAN Mayu Terada* Abstract: This paper analyzes and criticizes changes in the relationship between politics and the bureaucracy, in Japan up to the present from the viewpoint of administrative organizations and related public law system. Drastic changes in the legal system, or legal reform, may sometimes undermine the true intention of the policy and its implementation. Thus, bringing political leadership in administrative decision-making bodies cannot be easily concluded as better or worse than the complete separation of administration and government. To analyze this matter in -
A Research on the Noda Cabinet's Diplomatic Strategy : Focusing on the North Korea Policy
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Hosei University Repository A Research on the Noda Cabinet's Diplomatic Strategy : Focusing on the North Korea Policy 著者 YIN Hu, KANNO Masayo 出版者 法政大学国際日本学研究所 journal or INTERNATIONAL JAPANESE STUDIES publication title volume 16 page range 13-33 year 2019-03-29 URL http://doi.org/10.15002/00021864 A Research on the Noda Cabinet’s Diplomatic Strategy: Focusing on the North Korea Policy 13 A Research on the Noda Cabinetʼs Diplomatic Strategy: Focusing on the North Korea Policy YIN Hu KANNO Masayo 1. Introduction Japanʼs policies toward the Democratic Peopleʼs Republic of Korea (DPRK) are not only issues concerning bilateral relations, but also complex international political issues which are determined by the complex political situations in Northeast Asia, including division of the Korean Peninsula, the confrontations between the two camps during the Cold War, and the extension of the United States of America (US)-South Korea alliance as well as the US-Japan alliance after the Cold War. It can be seen that all of the above affect the geopolitical developments in Northeast Asia as well as the foreign strategy of every country in the region.1 Moreover, Japanʼs policy toward North Korea has a direct impact on the changes in Japanʼs domestic political situation. Thus, it can be seen that only when putting Japan-DPRK relations in the political framework of Northeast Asia and analyzing through multilateral perspectives, can we grasp the essence of Japan-DPRK relations and predict the future trend.2 North Korea is the only country among those which were invaded by Japan that has yet to realize a normalization of diplomatic relations with Japan. -
From Rhetoric to Reality: Japanese Foreign-Policy Making Under The
From Rhetoric to Reality Foreign-Policy Making under the Democratic Party of Japan April 2012 The Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis From Rhetoric to Reality Foreign-Policy Making under the Democratic Party of Japan April 2012 Weston S. Konishi A publication of The Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis Contents Introduction and Acknowledgments iii Executive Summary v Main Findings v From Rhetoric to Reality: Foreign-Policy Making under the Democratic Party of Japan 1 Internal Challenges 4 Intra-party Divisions 4 The Complexities of Coalition Politics 7 Institutional Reforms: Toward Politician-Led Decision-Making 11 The DPJ’s Foreign Policy: Competing Visions 15 Realists 16 Pacifists 17 Centrists 17 Neo-Autonomists 18 Caveats 20 Prime Minister Hatoyama: An Agenda for Change 23 External Constraints on the Hatoyama Administration 27 The Kan Administration: Political Transition and Crisis Management 30 The Noda Administration: Shifting to the Center? 40 Findings and Implications 45 The Impact of Structural Obstacles on DPJ Foreign-Policy Making 45 Continuity versus Change 46 The DPJ: A Hawkish Party? 47 Bilateralism vs. Multilateralism 49 Competing Schools of Thought 51 Conclusion 54 APPENDIX A: Impact of Major Events on Cabinet Approval Ratings 56 FROM RHETORIC TO REALITY I APPENDIX B: The 2010 NDPG Process 59 APPENDIX C: Survey Data of DPJ Foreign Policy Viewpoints 62 APPENDIX D: Profiles of Key DPJ Politicians 63 APPENDIX E: Chronology of Major Events under DPJ Governments 79 Bibliography 86 About the Author 103 II FROM RHETORIC TO REALITY Introduction and Acknowledgments After more than fifty years of one-party dom- ister Kan Naoto, presided over Japan’s most chal- inance under the Liberal Democratic Par- lenging crisis since World War II—the March ty (LDP), Japan’s political landscape changed 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake—before dramatically with the victory of the Democratic succumbing to his own political fate as a result Party of Japan (DPJ) in parliamentary elections of his inconsistent leadership. -
Japanese Political Parties
JAPANESE POLITICAL PARTIES Lecturer: Masayo Goto, PhD 1 Ruling and opposition RULING COALITION z Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) – largest ruling party z New Komeito (Clean Party) OPPOSITION z Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) – largest opposition party z Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDP) z Japanese Communist Party (JCP) 2 Strength of Political Groups in both houses Before election After election HOR HOC HOR HOC Liberal Democratic Party 212 114 296 112 New Komeito 34 24 31 24 (Ruling coalition in total) (246) (138) (327) People’s New Party (LDP rebels) (Kokumin shinto) 4 - 4 3 New Party Japan (LDP rebels) (Nippon) 3 - 1 Independent rebels 30 - 13 Democratic Party of Japan and Club of Independents 175 84 113 82 Japanese Communist Party 9 9 9 9 Social Democratic Party 6 6 7 6 Independents 4 5 6 5 Vacancy 1 3 MEMBERSHIP 480 242 480 242 Liberal Democratic Party z Established in November 1955 through the merger of the Liberal Party and the Japan Democratic Party z The LDP held uninterrupted power in Japan from 1955 until 1993, when it briefly lost government to an eight-party coalition z The LDP returned to power in June 1994 as the major partner in a coalition with the Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDP) z Since 1998 it has strengthened its position in the Diet by forming a coalition with New Komeito z The current party president is Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He was elected as party president in 2001. z The party will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding in November 2005 5 New Komeito Komeito originally formed in 1964 the political wing of Soka Gakkai Komeito merged with other parties in 1994 to form the New Frontier Party, but split off again and eventually joined with the New Peace Party in 1998 to become New Komeito. -
1 Pursuing Historical Reconciliation in East Asia Shin'ichi Arai the Theme
Pursuing Historical Reconciliation in East Asia Shin’ichi Arai The theme of my presentation is historical reconciliation. The traumas of large-scale war, especially World War II, the Holocaust, and other horrors, have inflicted deep physical and psychological wounds on human history. One of the primary goals of historical reconciliation is to heal the wounds of the victims and to reunite the world peacefully. The globalization of the world’s economies and the potential threat of nuclear weapons around the world have made the process of historical reconciliation increasingly imperative. East Asia has seen the gradual development of a regional community through increasing economic interdependence and international cooperation to promote denuclearization. In order to further the creation of a peaceful East Asian community, historical reconciliation is essential, and it is vital that the various countries of East Asia strive to come to common understandings of the past. Usually, reconciliation among belligerents is carried out through peace treaties. The peace treaty concluded between Italy and the Allies in 1947, just before the beginning of the Cold War, acknowledged Italy’s responsibility for the war and demanded in Article 74 that the government pay reparations to various countries including the Soviet Union, Ethiopia, Greece, and Albania. Through this, Italy made a major first step to reconciliation with the Allies. In the case of Japan, a lasting peace treaty was not concluded until 1951. Nevertheless, China and the Koreas – the countries most devastated by Japanese aggression – were not invited to the peace conference in San Francisco. Instead, the peoples of Asia and the Pacific were not allowed to represent themselves at the conference but were typically represented by their former colonial masters. -
The Limits of Forgiveness in International Relations: Groups
JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations E-ISSN: 1647-7251 [email protected] Observatório de Relações Exteriores Portugal del Pilar Álvarez, María; del Mar Lunaklick, María; Muñoz, Tomás The limits of forgiveness in International Relations: Groups supporting the Yasukuni shrine in Japan and political tensions in East Asia JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations, vol. 7, núm. 2, noviembre, 2016, pp. 26- 49 Observatório de Relações Exteriores Lisboa, Portugal Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=413548516003 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative OBSERVARE Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa e-ISSN: 1647-7251 Vol. 7, Nº. 2 (November 2016-April 2017), pp. 26-49 THE LIMITS OF FORGIVENESS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: GROUPS SUPPORTING THE YASUKUNI SHRINE IN JAPAN AND POLITICAL TENSIONS IN EAST ASIA María del Pilar Álvarez [email protected] Research Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Salvador (USAL, Argentina) and Visiting Professor of the Department of International Studies at the University T. Di Tella (UTDT). Coordinator of the Research Group on East Asia of the Institute of Social Science Research (IDICSO) of the USAL. Postdoctoral Fellow of the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) of Argentina. Doctor of Social Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Holder of a Master Degree on East Asia, Korea, from Yonsei University. Holder of a Degree in Political Science (UBA).