Steven R. Reed – författare

Collecting original and high-quality analysis by top scholars from Japan, the United States, Australia, and Europe, this volume analyzes the results of the 2014 election, examining each of the major political parties, central policy issues, campaign practices, and considers how the results were used as a mandate for massive policy reform.

Collecting original and high-quality analysis by top scholars from Japan, the United States, Australia, and Europe, this volume analyzes the results of the 2014 election, examining each of the major political parties, central policy issues, campaign practices, and considers how the results were used as a mandate for massive policy reform.

Combining history with comparative politics, Matthew M. Carlson and Steven R. Reed take on political corruption and scandals, and the reforms designed to counter them, in post–World War II Japan.Political Corruption and Scandals in Japan makes sense of the scandals that have plagued Japanese politics for more than half a century and attempts to show how reforms have evolved to counter the problems. What causes political corruption to become more or less serious over time? they ask. The authors examine major political corruption scandals beginning with the early postwar period until the present day as one way to make sense of how the nature of corruption changes over time. They also consider bureaucratic corruption and scandals, violations of electoral law, sex scandals, and campaign finance regulations and scandals.In the end, Carlson and Reed write, though Japanese politics still experiences periodic scandals, the political reforms of 1994 have significantly reduced the levels of political corruption. The basic message is that reform can reduce corruption. The causes and consequences of political corruption in Japan, they suggest, are much like those in other consolidated democracies.

In the past twenty years, Japan has undergone dramatic changes. Electoral reform has altered the relationship between politicians and voters, and Japan is increasingly a two-party system. The popularity of former prime minister Koizumi Junichiro highlighted the salience of telegenic party leaders.Amid so many shifts, it remains unclear whether such changes will stand the test of time and where Japanese politics is heading. However, it is not too early to assess the permanence and the direction of political change in Japan. Each chapter in this wide-ranging volume addresses a key political development in Japanfrom "stealing votes" to the constraints that women candidates face.Intended for scholars and students who study Japan, this timely volume also provides valuable reading for comparative political scientists. With contributions from some of the most distinguished scholars working on Japan today, Political Change in Japan seeks to answer the question: Was political reform in Japan a revolution or a flash in the pan?

Recent elections in Japan have been dramatic, and the 2021 general election was no exception. Worldwide turmoil caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as domestic uncertainty following the resignation of long-serving Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Prime Minister Abe Shinzō, left many voters and political observers wondering whether his successors were up to the task of leading the country through the crisis. In the end, the LDP and coalition partner Kōmeitō eked out an electoral victory—but one that masks important changes in the party system and nuanced changes in voter behavior and preferences. This fourth volume in the Japan Decides series features a comprehensive collection of analyses from leading experts, covering the legacy of Abe’s tenure in office, the state of the LDP and other parties, the impact of COVID-19 and the postponed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, and many other important topics in contemporary party politics and domestic and foreignpolicy.

1. Introduction.- 2. Japanese Politics 2017 to 2021.- 3. The 2021 Election Results: Continuity and Change.- 4. How the Liberal Democratic Party Avoided a Loss in 2021.- 5. The Opposition in 2021: A Second Party and a Third Force.- 6. Kōmeitō in 2021: Strategizing between the LDP and Sōka Gakkai.- 7. Abe's legacy.- 8. Candidate Selection for the 2021 General Election.- 9. Generational Change or Continuity in Japan's Leadership?.- 10. Should I Stay or Should I Go? Party Switching in Japan.- 11. Ministerial Selection under Abe, Suga, and Kishida.- 12. Public opinion and COVID-19.- 13. Social media in the 2021 Election Campaign.- 14. Are the Kids Alright? Young People and Turnout in Japan.- 15. Did COVID-19 Impact Japan's 2021 General Election?.- 16. Japan's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.- 17. Economic Policy Trilemma: Macroeconomic Politics in the 2021 Election.- 18. Does Income Inequality Matter in Japan?.- 19. Women's representation and the gendered impact of COVID-19 in Japan.- 20. Black Lives Matter in Japan: The Specter of Race and Racism Haunting Japan.- 21. Constitutional Revision in the 2021 Election.- 22. Covid-19: The International Dimension.- 23. Foreign Policy and Defense Issues in Japan's 2021 Election.- 24. China in Japan's 2021 Elections.- 25. The Olympics in the 2021 Election.- 26. Conclusion: The 2021 Japanese Election in the Shadow of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

This third volume in the Japan Decides series remains the premier venue for scholarly research on Japanese elections. Putting a spotlight on the 2017 general election, the contributors discuss the election results, party politics, coalition politics with Komeito, the cabinet, constitutional revision, new opposition parties, and Abenomics. Additionally, the volume looks at campaigning, public opinion, media, gender issues and representation, North Korea and security issues, inequality, immigration and cabinet scandals. With a topical focus and timely coverage of the latest dramatic changes in Japanese politics, the volume will appeal to researchers and policy experts alike, and will also make a welcome addition to courses on Japanese politics, comparative politics and electoral politics.