Lesson Four______Single Party Governance: Early Benefit and Long-Term Costs

Home , 1955 System, Hayato Ikeda, Hitoshi Ashida, Japan Socialist Party, Junichiro Koizumi, Kakuei Tanaka

Organizing • What are some distinctive aspects of Japan’s political system? Questions • What have the early benefits and long-term costs of Japan’s political system been? • How does Japan’s political system compare to those of other countries?

Introduction On Day One, students answer questions on an anticipation guide prior to viewing a lecture on the Japanese government and politics. During the lecture, students take notes and complete a handout of discussion questions in class and as homework. On Day Two, students review the handout of discussion questions. Then, the teacher assigns each student a Japanese prime minister to research. Students begin their research in class and complete their assignment as homework. On Day Three, students present their assigned prime ministers to the class and discuss their findings. Students then participate in an activity through which they compare and contrast political issues in Japan with issues in other countries. For homework, they create cartoons depicting one of these issues. On Day Four, students display their cartoon strips around the room, observe their classmates’ work, and discuss. Students then revisit their anticipation guide from the beginning of the lesson.

Objectives In this lesson, students will • learn about distinctive aspects of Japan’s political system; • analyze the positive and negative aspects of Japan’s political system; • compare and contrast Japan’s political system to those of other countries; • learn about Japan’s prime ministers; and • theorize what Japan’s government should or should not do to make sure it is serving the common good.

Connections This lesson has been designed to meet certain national history and social to Curriculum studies standards as defined by the National Center for History in the Schools and the National Council for the Social Studies. The standards for Standards the lesson are listed here.

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National History Standards (from the National Center for History in the Schools) Era 9, Standard 1B: The student understands why global power shifts took place and the Cold War broke out in the aftermath of World War II. • Grades 7–12: Compare the impact of Soviet domination on Eastern Europe with changes that occurred in German and Japanese society under Allied occupation. [Compare and contrast differing values, behaviors, and institutions] Era 9, Standard 2C: The student understands how liberal democracy, market economies, and human rights movements have reshaped political and social life. • Grades 9–12: Assess the strengths of democratic institutions and civic culture in countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Canada, the United States, Japan, India, and Mexico and analyze potential challenges to civil society in democratic states. [Interrogate historical data]

National Social Studies Standards (from the National Council for the Social Studies) • Culture; Thematic Strand I: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity. • Time, Continuity, and Change; Thematic Strand II: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time. • People, Places, and Environments; Thematic Strand III: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments. • Individuals, Groups, and Institutions; Thematic Strand V: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions. • Power, Authority, and Governance; Thematic Strand VI: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance. • Global Connections; Thematic Strand IX: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of global connections and interdependence. • Civic Ideals and Practices; Thematic Strand X: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.

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Materials Handout 1, Anticipation Guide, p. 7, 30 copies Handout 2, Discussion Questions, pp. 8–11, 30 copies Handout 3, Prime Minister Activity, p. 12, 30 copies Handout 4, Compare and Contrast, p. 13–14, 30 copies Handout 5, Cartoon Strip Activity, p. 15, 30 copies Handout 6, Cartoon Strip Reflections, p. 16, 30 copies Teacher Guide, Prime Minister Activity. p. 17 Answer Key 1, Discussion Questions, pp. 18–20 Answer Key 2, Anticipation Guide, p. 21 Lecture 4, Single Party Governance: Early Benefit and Long-Term Costs, on manaba course site PowerPoint Presentation, Single Party Governance: Early Benefit and Long- Term Costs, on manaba course site, 30 copies Political cartoons from newspapers Tape

Supplementary Handout S1, Japanese Government and Political Conditions, p. 22, 30 copies Materials Quiz, Japanese Government and Political Conditions, p. 23, 30 copies Answer Key, Quiz on the Japanese Government and Political Conditions, p. 24

Equipment Computers with Internet access Computer projector

Teacher Instructions and materials are based on a class size of 30 students. Adjust Preparation accordingly for different class sizes. 1. View Lecture 4, Single Party Governance: Early Benefit and Long-Term Costs, and review all handouts, the teacher guide, and answer keys. 2. Make appropriate number of copies of handouts and PowerPoint slides. 3. Determine whether your students need the supplementary information on the Japanese government and political conditions. If so, assign supplementary Handout S1, Japanese Government and Political Conditions, as reading homework prior to Day One of the lesson, and administer the accompanying quiz. 4. Collect political cartoons from newspapers to use as reference for the activity for Days Three and Four.

Time At least four 50-minute periods

Procedures Students answer questions on an anticipation guide prior to viewing Day One a lecture on the Japanese government and politics. During the lecture,

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students take notes and complete a handout of discussion questions in class and as homework. 1. Inform students they will be learning about Japan’s government and political system. 2. Distribute one copy of Handout 1, Anticipation Guide, to each student. Instruct them to record their answers on the “Before” column of the handout. Collect the handouts and inform students that they will revisit these questions at the end of the lesson. 3. View Lecture 4, Single Party Governance: Early Benefit and Long-Term Costs, through the manaba course site. Instruct students to take notes while viewing the lecture. Distribute one copy of the PowerPoint Presentation, Single Party Governance: Early Benefit and Long-Term Costs, to each student. Instruct students to take notes on the copy of the slides while viewing the lecture. 4. Distribute one copy of Handout 2, Discussion Questions, to each student. Allow students time to complete the handout in class or as homework.

Day Two Students review the handout of discussion questions. Then, the teacher assigns each student a Japanese prime minister to research. Students begin their research in class and complete their assignment as homework. 1. Review the answers for Handout 2, Discussion Questions, using Answer Key 1, Discussion Questions, as a guide. 2. Inform students that they will learn more about specific Japanese prime ministers. Distribute one copy of Handout 3, Prime Minister Activity, to each student. Using the Teacher Guide, Prime Minister Activity, assign one prime minister to each student. 3. Review the directions for the activity with the students. Allow students time to research their assigned prime ministers in class. Instruct students to complete the assignment as homework and to be prepared to present at the beginning of the next class.

Day Three Students present their assigned prime ministers to the class and discuss their findings. Students then participate in an activity through which they compare and contrast political issues in Japan with issues in other countries. For homework, they create cartoons depicting one of these issues. 1. Allow students time to finalize and rehearse their presentations. Facilitate the students’ presentations of their assigned prime ministers. Presentations of prime ministers should proceed in chronological order. Collect Handout 3 for assessment. 2. Debrief the activity with a class discussion. Sample questions are included below for your reference. • Who do you believe were the most effective prime ministers? Why? • Many of the prime ministers left office within a year or less. What kind of developments led to their early exits? 4 © SPICE lesson four

• Do any of the Japanese leaders remind you of leaders in your own country? If so, how? If not, describe how they differ. 3. Organize the class into partner pairs. Distribute one copy of Handout 4, Compare and Contrast, to each student. Review the directions to the assignment and allow students time to work on the handout. 4. Review students’ responses on the handout. Instruct students to record any answers that they might not have time to complete. 5. Distribute one copy of Handout 5, Cartoon Strip Activity, to each student. Review the directions to the activity as a class. Allow students time to work on their cartoons for the remainder of class and as homework. Have political cartoons from newspapers available for students to reference.

Day Four Students display their cartoon strips around the room, observe their classmates’ work, and discuss. Students then revisit their anticipation guide from the beginning of the lesson. 1. Assign each student a number (1–30) and instruct them to write this number in large print somewhere on their sheet of cartoons. Instruct students to display their cartoons around the room. Distribute tape as needed. 2. Distribute one copy of Handout 6, Cartoon Strip Reflections. Allow students time to walk around the class, read all the cartoon strips, and record their observations about at least 10 cartoon strips. 3. Reconvene as a class and discuss the students’ observations of several cartoon strips. Collect Handout 6 for assessment. 4. Return Handout 1, Anticipation Guide, to each student. Direct students to complete the “After” and “Proof” columns on the handout. Collect for assessment, using Answer Key 2, Anticipation Guide, as a guide. 5. Visit the manaba course site and post comments about the lesson, any modifications you made, or any other additional resources you would like to share with the community of teachers who are also teaching this course to their students.

Assessment The following are suggestions for assessing student work in this lesson: 1. Handout 2, Discussion Questions, using Answer Key 1, Discussion Questions, as a guide 2. Handout 3, Prime Minister Activity, using the criteria outlined on the handout as a guide. 3. Handout 5, Cartoon Strip Activity, using the criteria outlined on the handout as a guide. 4. Handout 6, Cartoon Strip Reflections, based on the quality of notes taken. 5. Handout 1, Anticipation Guide, using Answer Key 2, Anticipation Guide, as a guide.

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6. Student participation in group and class discussions, evaluating students’ ability to • clearly state their observations, opinions, and answers; • exhibit sensitivity toward different cultures and ideas; • respect and acknowledge other students’ observations, opinions, and answers; and • ask relevant and insightful questions.

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Anticipation Guide

Read the following statements and check the box indicating whether you think the statement is true or false.

Before After True False Statement True False Proof For many years, the Japanese government allotted only one percent of the country’s GDP to defense.

From 2000 to 2010, Japan’s prime ministers have served an average of three years in office.

The Japanese prime minister is chosen by the party in power, not by an election like in the United States.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan enjoyed the longest stretch of single-party rule among industrial democracies from 1955 to 1993. Single-party rule has benefited Japan tremendously, leading it to become one of the largest economies in the world and also leading to prosperity for its citizens.

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Discussion Questions

1. Explain why in the United States and Western Europe, voters prefer a two-party/multiparty system of government. List at least two reasons. •

•

2. Describe why Japan preferred single-party rule for such a long period of time.

3. Define the term nisei giin.

4. In the 1980s, approximately what percentage of LDP parliamentary representatives in the lower house were nisei giin?

5. Describe at least three accomplishments of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida. •

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6. Who constituted the Japan Socialist Party’s support base? What was its platform?

7. Who constituted the LDP’s support base?

8. Why did the JSP gradually shrink in size and decrease in power over time? List at least three reasons. •

•

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9. The Yoshida Doctrine was a set of policy guidelines that became institutionalized in postwar Japan. Describe at least three aspects of these policies. •

•

10. In the 1980s, 90¬92 percent of public survey respondents said they were ______.

11. How did the LDP maintain power even when its support base (mainly farmers) began to shrink?

12. What is amakudari?

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13. Describe the pros and cons (at least two each) of Japan’s 1955 political system. Pros •

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Cons •

•

14. What was economist Mancur Olson’s theory about political parties that stay in power for too long?

16. According to Professor Okimoto, what is the biggest question facing Japanese leadership today?

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Prime Minister Activity

1. Your teacher will assign a Japanese prime minister for you to research. Record his name here:

2. Find a photo or image of your assigned prime minister and print out or photocopy onto an 8.5"-by-11" sheet of paper. Enlarge the image, if necessary, since you will present this image to the class.

3. Using library resources and/or the Internet, research the following information about your assigned Japanese prime minister: • Dates he served as prime minister • What party the prime minister was from • Notable accomplishments or events that occurred during his tenure as prime minister • Problems that occurred during his tenure as prime minister

4. Record this information on the back of the photo you have printed.

5. You must use at least two sources. List them here. a)

6. Prepare to present your assigned prime minister and the above information to the class.

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Compare and Contrast

In the lecture, Professor Okimoto discusses some problems that are not unique to Japan. The following is a list of some general issues for the Japanese political system as it looks ahead. In your opinion, which of these also describe problems with the political situation in the country in which you live or any other country? Work with your partner to find examples of similar situations to complete the chart.

Situation in Japan Similar situations in other countries

Electoral politics—in times of economic hardship, worst features of the system spring forth (for example, political parties tend to focus on what is good for them and not the collective good)

Soaring deficits coupled with citizens’ unwillingness to accept higher taxes

Citizens wanting cuts in spending but unwilling to accept those that affect them

Partisan polarization, warfare

Political parties who focus on wresting power from other parties

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Ideological rigidity

Policy gridlock

Media amplification and distortion

General political inability to tackle economic problems and crises (unwillingness to take painful steps)

Search for palliative (“Band-Aid”) solutions

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Cartoon Strip Activity

In this activity, you will create two cartoon strips: one to depict the situation in Japan and one to depict a similar situation in a different country. Follow the steps below to complete your activity. 1. Choose one issue from Handout 4, Compare and Contrast, to depict.

2. Formulate an opinion or thought about what you would like to say about this issue.

3. Look at political cartoons in newspapers for ideas on how to illustrate your opinion.

4. Using text and graphics, create two cartoons (or cartoon strips): one about Japan’s situation, one about the similar situation in a different country.

5. When creating the cartoon/cartoon strips, make sure to • use the entire sheet of paper; • write clearly and legibly; • exhibit sensitivity toward different cultures and ideas; and • draw as well as you can. It does not have to be a masterpiece, but other people should be able to figure out what your drawings depict.

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Cartoon Strip Reflections

Observe your classmates’ cartoons that are posted around the room. Complete the following chart about 10 of these cartoons.

What situation is this particular cartoon What is this student’s opinion about the Cartoon # depicting? situation?

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Prime Minister Activity

Assign a prime minister to each student. If you have fewer than 30 students, begin assigning with the most recent prime minister (Yoshihiko Noda) and work backward on the list. Review the directions for the activity on Handout 3 as a class. 1. Hitoshi Ashida 2. Shigeru Yoshida 3. Ichiro Hatoyama 4. Tanzan Ishibashi 5. Nobusuke Kishi 6. Hayato Ikeda 7. Eisaku Sato 8. Kakuei Tanaka 9. Takeo Miki 10. Takeo Fukuda 11. Masayoshi Ohira 12. Zenko Suzuki 13. Yasuhiro Nakasone 14. Noboru Takeshita 15. Sosuke Uno 16. Toshiki Kaifu 17. Kiichi Miyazawa 18. Morihiro Hosokawa 19. Tsutomu Hata 20. Tomiichi Murayama 21. Ryutaro Hashimoto 22. Keizo Obuchi 23. Yoshiro Mori 24. Junichiro Koizumi 25. Shinzo Abe 26. Yasuo Fukuda 27. Taro Aso 28. Yukio Hatoyama 29. Naoto Kan 30. Yoshihiko Noda (as of 2012)

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Discussion Questions

1. Explain why in the United States and Western Europe, voters prefer a two-party/multiparty system of government. List at least two reasons. Student answers may include the following: • Fear of overconcentration of power in a single party • Desire for competition, transparency, and accountability • Infusion of fresh “blood” (people, ideas) • No danger of emerging power elite • No family dynastic politics • Greater focus on policy to differentiate the parties • More accountability/transparency

2. Describe why Japan preferred single-party rule for such a long period of time. Single-party rule was effective in providing continuity, predictability, and coherence.

3. Define the term nisei giin. The second generation of LDP Diet members who are sons/daughters of elderly LDP Diet members (e.g., Fukuda, Abe, Yoshida).

4. In the 1980s, approximately what percentage of LDP parliamentary representatives in the lower house were nisei giin? 45 percent

5. Describe at least three accomplishments of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida. Student answers may include the following: • Negotiated peace and security treaties with the United States • Architect of the 1955 system of politics in Japan/author of the “Yoshida Doctrine,” a kind of blueprint for Japan for the second half of the 20th century • Critical to the foundation of modern politics in Japan

6. Who constituted the Japan Socialist Party’s support base? What was its platform? • Labor unions, blue collar workers, intellectuals • Opposed U.S.–Japan Security Treaty • Preference for neutrality (no alignment with United States) • Some/no arms, defense only • Emphasis on social welfare

7. Who constituted the LDP’s support base? Farmers, fishermen, big- and small-business men, workers in medical services, postal savings system, construction industry, transportation (across many sectors of the Japanese economy)

8. Why did the JSP gradually shrink in size and decrease in power over time? List at least three reasons. Student answers may include the following: • There was a limit to the expansibility of the Socialist party because it was confined to a support base that was one-organization specific (labor unions). • It was difficult to recruit political leaders from outside the labor unions. • Former bureaucrats had no incentive to run as JSP candidates because they had no experience in labor unions and would have had to rise through the ranks. • The JSP did not have access to the same talent pool of leaders as the LDP had (such as Tokyo University graduates). • Over time, labor unions shrank in size and declined in power.

9. The Yoshida Doctrine was a set of policy guidelines that became institutionalized in postwar Japan. Describe at least three aspects of these policies. Student answers may include the following: • A reliance on the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty • Defense spending was limited to one percent of GDP (Yoshida felt that Japan did not have enough leeway to devote any more of its GDP to defense and that economic growth was more important) • Military bases in Japan were maintained. • Income-doubling, high-speed economic growth • Rapid, heavy manufacturing growth (not light textiles). Yoshida felt that heavy manufacturing was the best long-term route to growth because Japan would obtain a full set of industries, full employment, and the Japanese would be able to enjoy a standard of living comparable to the West.

10. In the 1980s, 90–92 percent of public survey respondents said they were ______. middle class

11. How did the LDP maintain power even when its support base (mainly farmers) began to shrink? The LDP brought into being and maintained a system of electoral districting (gerrymandering) in which they put together districts that were favorable to the LDP, leading to an overrepresentation of rural and semiurban districts.

12. What is amakudari? A term referring to the practice of retired bureaucrats “parachuting” into important, lucrative positions in the private or government sectors.

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13. Describe the pros and cons (at least two each) of Japan’s 1955 political system. Student answers may include the following: Pros • Japan grew very rapidly to become the second largest economy in the world. • Japan became the first country in Asia to take its place in the international system as a nation that decoupled economic growth from military and diplomatic power. Cons • Japan became dependent on the United States for national security. • Japan developed a cautious and muted voice in the international system as it was reluctant to disagree with the United States. • This system resulted in less political competition, transparency, and accountability (key decisions such as who would be prime minister were made away from the press) • The success of the system made it grow big, entrenched, incapable of easy adjustment, change, reform, or reorientation. Little flexibility for policy change

14. What was economist Mancur Olson’s theory about political parties that stay in power for too long? Olson believed that if a political party has stayed in power for a long period of time (12 years or more), it would lead to a rigidification of political and economic policy. Interest groups would penetrate the political economic system and receive favors. They would then act as “parasites” and eat into the vitality of the economic system, which would in turn lead to economic decline.

15. After the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) came into power in 2009 with a landslide victory over the LDP, what issues did it choose to focus on? So far, describe how the DPJ has fared in terms of effective government. It chose to focus on the Okinawa military base issue (not the prioritization of economic issues). The DPJ came into office without much policy-making experience. It marginalized bureaucracies and put nothing in place to serve as policy-making expertise for its own governance.

16. According to Professor Okimoto, what is the biggest question facing Japanese leadership today? Will the Japanese political system under the leadership of the DPJ be able to meet the challenges of economy, society, and an aging and shrinking demography?

Anticipation Guide

Read the following statements and check the box indicating whether you think the statement is true or false.

Statement True False Proof

As part of the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty, the For many years, the Japanese Japanese government capped its defense spending government allotted only one percent X to one percent of GDP, focusing on economic growth of the country’s GDP to defense. instead of on military power.

From 2000 to 2010, Japan’s prime With the exception of Junichiro Koizumi, Japan’s ministers have served an average of X prime ministers of the past decade have served for three years in office. approximately one year before leaving office.

The Japanese prime minister is The prime minister is chosen by his colleagues, not chosen by the party in power, not by X by the voting process of the general populace. an election like in the United States.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) This is both true and false. While the single-party of Japan enjoyed the longest stretch rule of the LDP led Japan to be the second-largest of single-party rule among industrial economy in the world, the problems inherent to democracies from 1955 to 1993. single-party rule (lack of transparency, flexibility, Single-party rule has benefited Japan X X and accountability) have also made the Japanese tremendously, leading it to become government risk-averse and susceptible to interest one of the largest economies in the groups. Also, due to Japan’s economic woes and the world and also leading to prosperity strength of China’s economy, China has overtaken for its citizens. Japan as the second-largest economy in the world.

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Japanese Government and Political Conditions

Japan is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government. There is universal adult suffrage with a secret ballot for all elective offices. Sovereignty, previously embodied in the emperor, is vested in the Japanese people, and the emperor is defined as the symbol of the state. Japan’s government is a parliamentary democracy, with a House of Representatives (also known as the lower house) and a House of Councillors (sometimes called the upper house). These two houses together represent the Diet (or kokkai). Executive power is vested in a cabinet composed of a prime minister and ministers of state, all of whom must be civilians. The prime minister must be a member of the Diet and is designated by his colleagues. The prime minister has the power to appoint and remove ministers, a majority of whom must be Diet members. The judiciary is independent. The seven major political parties represented in the National Diet are the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the People’s New Party (PNP), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the New Clean Government Party (Komeito), the Japan Communist Party (JCP), and Your Party (YP). Japan’s judicial system, drawn from customary law, civil law, and Anglo-American common law, consists of several levels of courts, with the Supreme Court as the final judicial authority. The Japanese constitution includes a bill of rights similar to the U.S. Bill of Rights, and the Supreme Court has the right of judicial review. Japanese courts do not use a jury system, and there are no administrative courts or claims courts. Because of the judicial system’s basis, court decisions are made in accordance with legal statutes. Only Supreme Court decisions have any direct effect on later interpretation of the law. Japan does not have a federal system, and its 47 prefectures are not sovereign entities in the sense that U.S. states are. Most depend on the central government for subsidies. Governors of prefectures, mayors of municipalities, and prefectural and municipal assembly members are popularly elected to four-year terms.

Recent Political Developments The post-World War II years saw tremendous economic growth in Japan, with the political system dominated by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). That total domination lasted until the Diet lower house elections in July 1993, in which the LDP failed for the first time to win a majority. The LDP returned to power in 1994, with majorities in both houses of the Diet. In elections in July 2007, the LDP lost its majority in the upper house. The DPJ followed up on this advance with a landslide victory in the lower house elections of August 2009, giving the DPJ a majority in the more powerful lower house and a leading coalition in the upper house, overturning the post–World War II political order.

Principal Government Officials Head of state: emperor Head of government: prime minister

Source: “Background Note: Japan,” U.S. Department of State, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/ bgn/4142.htm (Accessed 30 January 2012).

Japanese Government and Political Conditions

1. True or False: The emperor is the symbol of the state, and the prime minister is the head of the government.

2. True or False: The term Diet refers to the House of Representatives (also known as the lower house) and a House of Councillors (sometimes called the upper house).

3. True or False: The prime minister is elected every four years in an election process similar to that of the United States presidency.

4. True or False: For many years after World War II and until recently, the Liberal Democratic Party dominated Japanese politics. As of 2012, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) was in power.

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Quiz on the Japanese Government and Political Conditions

1. True or False: The emperor is the symbol of the state, and the prime minister is the head of the government. True. The Japanese emperor has no real political power. Executive power is vested in a cabinet composed of a prime minister and ministers of state, all of whom must be civilians.

2. True or False: The term Diet refers to the House of Representatives (also known as the lower house) and a House of Councillors (sometimes called the upper house). True.

3. True or False: The prime minister is elected every four years in an election process similar to that of the United States presidency. False. Members of the Diet appoint the prime minister. In recent years, prime ministers have held office for a relatively short period of time before stepping down (approximately a year).

4. True or False: For many years after World War II and until recently, the Liberal Democratic Party dominated Japanese politics. As of 2012, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) was in power. True. The LDP was the ruling party in Japan from 1955 to 1993. This represents the longest stretch of single-party rule among industrial democracies.