The Rise and Fall of Japan's LDP : Political Party Organizations As Historical Institutions

After holding power continuously from its inception in 1955 (with the exception of a ten-month hiatus in 19931994), Japans Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost control of the national government decisively in September 2009. Despite its defeat, the LDP remains the most successful political party in a democracy in the postWorld War II period. In The Rise and Fall of Japans LDP, Ellis S. Krauss and Robert J. Pekkanen shed light on the puzzle of the LDPs long dominance and abrupt defeat. Several questions about institutional change in party politics are at the core of their investigation: What incentives do different electoral systems provide? How do politicians adapt to new incentives? How much does structure determine behavior, and how much opportunity does structure give politicians to influence outcomes? How adaptable are established political organizations? The electoral system Japan established in 1955 resulted in a half-century of one-party democracy. But as Krauss and Pekkanen detail, sweeping political reforms in 1994 changed voting rules and other key elements of the electoral system. Both the LDP and its adversaries had to adapt to a new system that gave citizens two votes: one for a party and one for a candidate. Under the leadership of the charismatic Koizumi Junichiro, the LDP managed to maintain its majority in the Japanese Diet, but his successors lost popular support as opposing parties learned how to operate in the new electoral environment. Drawing on the insights of historical institutionalism, Krauss and Pekkanen explain how Japanese politics functioned before and after the 1994 reform and why the persistence of party institutions (factions, PARC, koenkai) and the transformed role of party leadership contributed both to the LDPs success at remaining in power for fifteen years after the reforms and to its eventual downfall. In an epilogue, the authors assess the LDPs prospects in the near and medium term. The Liberal Democratic Party In Time -- The Kōenkai: Origin And Development Of A Vote-mobilization Machine -- The Kōenkai Today: Institutional Change -- Factions Under The Single Nontransferable Vote Mixed-member District System -- Factions Today -- The Policy Affairs Research Council And Policymaking Under The '55 System -- The Policy Affairs Research Council After Reform -- Party Leadership In The '55 System -- The Changing Role Of Party Leadership -- The Liberal Democratic Party Out Of Time? Ellis S. Krauss And Robert J. Pekkanen. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. After holding power continuously from its inception in 1955 (with the exception of a 10-month hiatus in 1993-1994), Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost control of the national government decisively in September 2009. Here, the authors shed light on the puzzle of the LDP's long dominance and abrupt defeat Explains how the persistence of party institutions (factions, PARC, koenkai) and the transformed role of party leadership in Japan contributed both to the LDP's success at remaining in power for 15 years and its downfall.