Governing Japan: Divided Politics in a Resurgent Economy

Since the early 1990s, a burgeoning Chinese economy has overshadowed global interest in the island country of Japan. A recent resurgence of the Japanese economy on the world stage, however, has sparked renewed curiosity for the ′Land of the Rising Sun′.
The fourth edition of this well established and successful text provides an analysis of Japan’s current political system and the significant contributions of its leaders. It dispels the myth that Japanese politics is largely governed by consensus, revealing instead a fundamental difference of opinions when it comes to issues such as Japanese actions in the Asia–Pacific War or the country’s place in today’s world.
Taking a chronological approach, with emphasis on the post–1945 era, the text explores the expanding reach and role of the prime minister, as well as ways that government ministries are adopting a more streamlined and right–wing agenda. It examines a wide variety of topics –from the overly dominant role of the Liberal Democratic Party to the ever–growing tensions with China and North Korea. This up–to–date edition highlights the regime and aftermath of Prime Minister Koizumi, considers the impact of globalization on Japanese political economy, and concludes with an analytical lesson in Japanese politics.

Spis treści:
General Editor’s Introduction.
List of Tables.
Maps.
Conventions.
Acknowledgements.
1. Introduction: Why Japan and its Politics Matter.
2. Historical Background: Japan’s Emergence as a Modern State and the Politics of War, 1853––1945.
3. Social Background: How far Social Norms and Behaviour Influence Politics.
4. Political Reconstruction and Development, 1945–1989.
5. One Step Forward and One Step Back: Attempting Political Reform in the 1990s.
6. New Politics for the New Millennium: The Koizumi Effect.
7. Who Runs Japan?.
8. Par liament and Parliamentary Elections: The Changing Character of Electioneering.
9. The Politics of Party: The Liberal Democrats and their Rivals.
10. Some Problems of the Constitution.
11. Issues of Domestic Political Concern.
12. Issues of Foreign Policy and Defence.
13. Conclusions: The Analytical Challenge of Japanese Politics.
Appendix 1: House of Representatives Election Results, 1946–1955.
Appendix 2: House of Representatives Election Results, 1958–1972.
Appendix 3: House of Representatives Election Results, 1976–1990.
Appendix 4: House of Representatives Election Results, 1993–2005.
Appendix 5: House of Councillors Election Results, 11 July 2004.
Appendix 6: House of Councillors Election Results, 29 July 2007.
Further Reading.
Index

Nota biograficzna:
J. A. A. Stockwin received a degree at Oxford in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1959 and a doctorate in International Relations from the Australian National University in Canberra in 1965. He taught in the Department of Political Science at the Australian National University until 1981; and was Nissan Professor of Modern Japanese Studies at the University of Oxford from 1982 to 2003. Stockwin remains active in researching and writing on the politics of Japan.

Okładka tylna:
Since the early 1990s, a burgeoning Chinese economy has overshadowed global interest in the island country of Japan. A recent resurgence of the Japanese economy on the world stage, however, has sparked renewed curiosity for the ′Land of the Rising Sun′.
The fourth edition of this well established and successful text provides an analysis of Japan’s current political system and the significant contributions of its leaders. It dispels the myth that Japanese politics is largely governed by consensus, revealing instead a fundamental difference of opinions when it comes to issues such as Japanese actions in the A sia–Pacific War or the country’s place in today’s world.
Taking a chronological approach, with emphasis on the post–1945 era, the text explores the expanding reach and role of the prime minister, as well as ways that government ministries are adopting a more streamlined and right–wing agenda. It examines a wide variety of topics –from the overly dominant role of the Liberal Democratic Party to the ever–growing tensions with China and North Korea. This up–to–date edition highlights the regime and aftermath of Prime Minister Koizumi, considers the impact of globalization on Japanese political economy, and concludes with an analytical lesson in Japanese politics.