Japanese Democratization
A history of Japanese democratization.
Contents
Imperial Japan
Civil service exams were instituted in the Meiji era to promote a professional and prestigious bureaucracy.
Todai Law earned and maintained a reputation for producing students capable of passing the exams. Similar to Harvard and Yale in the United States, it is now entrenched in national policymaking.
Occupation
The United States established GHQ to govern Japan during the occupation.
Hirohito was backed as the legitimate head of state, though he was forced to renounce godhood.
The Japanese military and the Kenpaitai (憲兵隊) were abolished. Police powers were decentralized.
The ministries of the Army, the Navy, and Home (Naimushou) were abolished.
Apart from these, most of the government was left as-is. As a result, the bureaucracy was effectively empowered. While ministers were elected members of the Diet, all other members of a ministry (up to and including vice ministers) were career bureaucrats. This led to a functional structure similar to the IMF; the minister as a figurehead, the vice minister as the de facto head. This status was maintained by the amakudari system, whereby retiring bureaucrats were gifted a job by the vice minister exercising their high-level connections to corporate boards.
In the political power vacuum, leftist grassroots leaders quickly gained influence. A Red Purge began in 1949, and earlier sanction were lifted from major right-wing politicians who could counter the popularity of communism.
Modern Democracy
Self-rule returned in 1952 following the Treaty of San Francisco.
Effective Single Party Democracy
The LDP formed in 1955 and held power continuously until 1993.
JSP served as the opposition throughout the LDP dominance.
Politicians, especially within the LDP, made extensive use of koenkai (後援会) for campaign finance and voter mobilization. Over time koenkai became vertically-integrated political machines.
First Loss of Power
In the 1993 elections, in the context of the stagflating economy and the Recruit scandal, the LDP lost enough seats for a grand coalition government to form. Hosokawa led this government for 8 months, following which Hata led for 2 months.
The government fell in June when the LDP, JSP, and New Party Sakigake joined to form a new coalition. Murayama served as prime minister for 2 years, then handed power back to the LDP under Hashimoto. The coalition then devolved into a confidence and supply agreement.
The remaining grand coalition members consolidated into the New Frontier Party and served as the opposition.
Hashimoto hoped to regain control of the House of Councilors as well in the 1998 elections. Instead the LDP lost seats, and Hashimoto resigned.
First Return to Power
Obuchi formed a coalition government with the Liberal Party in January 1999. In October, Komeito joined as well. Obuchi died in office and Mori became prime minister.
The Mori government was plagued by scandals while a reformist faction was ascendent within the party. The YKK faction, composed of Koizumi, Koichi Kato (加藤 紘一), and Taku Yamasaki (山崎 拓), were serious contenders in the leadership contests of 1999 and 2000. The latter two gambled on a doomed vote of no confidence, but Koizumi was well positioned for the leadership contest following Mori's resignation.
Koizumi ushered in a new era of popularity for the LDP, and resigned at the end of his party leadership term.
Abe became prime minister after Koizumi. In the context of deteriorating health and losing the majority in the 2007 elections, he resigned in September.
Second Loss of Power