Alisa Gaunder - Political Reform in Japan: Leadership Looming Large

Political Reform in Japan argues that the quality of political leadership is the crucial determinant of whether politicians pass or reject policies such as electoral system and campaign finance reforms that could harm their future electoral chances. Alisa Gaunder reveals that while scandal is necessary to open windows of opportunity for reform, scandal itself does not produce reform. A leader with a certain set of resources and personal attributes is also needed, both to persuade self-interested politicians to support reform and to keep this support mobilized.

By comparing successful reform drives led by Miki Takeo, Ozawa Ichiro and Koizumi Junichiro with unsuccessful reform efforts pursued by Kaifu Toshiki, Miyazawa Kiichi and Kono Yohei, the book illustrates the decisive role that leaders who display vision, commitment and a willingness to take risks can have on the course of politics. Gaunder forces a reconsideration of the conventional wisdom on Japanese politics that consensus decisionmaking norms and factional power-balancing produce little in the way of political leadership.

Using supporting interview material obtained from discussions with prominent Japanese politicians, including former prime ministers, party heads and cabinet ministers, Political Reform in Japan will be highly relevant to policy makers and those studying comparative policies, Asian studies and leadership studies.

Alisa Gaunder is the Henry Luce Assistant Professor of East Asian Politics at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

1 A Japanese Company in Crisis
Ideology, strategy, and narrative
Fiona Graham

2 Japans Foreign Aid
Old continuities and new directions
Edited by David Arase

3 Japanese Apologies for World War II
A rhetorical study
Jane W. Yamazaki

5 Shinkansen
From bullet train to symbol of modern Japan
Christopher P. Hood

9 Adoption in Japan
Comparing policies for children in need
Peter Hayes and Toshie Habu

10 The Ethics of Aesthetics in Japanese Cinema and Literature
Polygraphic desire
Nina Cornyetz

11 Institutional and Technological Change in Japans Economy
Past and present
Edited by Janet Hunter and Cornelia Storz

12 Political Reform in Japan
Leadership looming large
Alisa Gaunder

First published 2007
by Routledge
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2007 Alisa Gaunder

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Gaunder, Alisa, 1970
Political reform in Japan: leadership looming large / by Alisa Gaunder.
p. cm. (Routledge contemporary Japan series; 12)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. JapanPolitics and government1945 2. Political leadershipJapan. 3. Political corruptionJapan. I. Title.

JQ1631.G38 2007
320.952dc222006026122

ISBN10-203-96449-7 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN10: 041541590X (hbk)
ISBN10: 0203964497 (ebk)

ISBN13: 9780415415903 (hbk)
ISBN13: 9780203964491 (ebk)

In memory of Eleanor Gaunder and Judy Gruber

I have many people to thank for their support of this project. This book began as a doctoral dissertation at the University of California, Berkeley. I will never forget the day I formulated the research question, having no idea at the time the long research journey I was embarking on. I was at an informal prospectus writing group meeting with Professor Nobuhiro Hiwatari, Rob Weiner, and Jon Marshall. It was my week to pick the readings, and I chose several articles on political reform. I had been intrigued by scandal and reform since working as an intern for Representative Matsuda Iwao on a Fulbright Fellowship in Tokyo during the turbulent time of 199293 which marked the split of the LDP and led to the passage of reform shortly after my departure. The discussions that followed led to the puzzle that drives this research when and why politicians pass laws that negatively affect them. This group eventually added Mari Miura to its membership and adopted the name BSG (the Berkeley Study Group). It was when we all found ourselves conducting research in Tokyo at the same time that my random thoughts and observations grew into researchable questions. I am grateful for the unwavering support and critical intellectual stimulation that each member of this group has provided. They were my Tokyo family for two years and have supported this project from beginning to end.

Many additional people have supported this project as it developed from drafts to a dissertation to a book manuscript. First, I would like to thank Steve Vogel, Ken Jowitt, Bruce Cain, and James Lincoln, the members of my dissertation committee at the University of California, Berkeley. Their support, encouragement, and critiques were critical in the development of this project. As my dissertation chair, Steve read numerous drafts of each chapter, some much more polished than others, and always gave excellent feedback. He provided interview connections in Tokyo and has given much guidance in navigating the publishing process. His support has been invaluable over the years. I would also like to thank Kenji Hayao and the two anonymous reviewers who read this manuscript in full and provided excellent suggestions for revision. Finally, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my dissertation writing buddy and close friend Sarah Wiliarty. She has been incredibly generous with her time, reading just about anything I wrote on this topic and all the versions and revisions that followed. Her confidence in my work has been a constant source of strength.

Many other people have read portions of this project and provided feedback, including Teena Gabrielson, Tomek Grabowski, Nobuhiro Hiwatari, John Leslie, Abe Newman, and Sara Watson. I would like to extend a special thank you to David Leheny for reading the introduction and helping me figure out how to turn a dissertation into a book. Steve Vogel and T.J. Pempel provided excellent feedback on my book prospectus and helped me develop a strategy for marketing the book to publishers. At Southwestern University, Shana Bernstein, Mary Grace Neville, and Katy Ross kept me true to deadlines, and the members of the Political Science Department, Tim ONeill, Eric Selbin, Bob Snyder, and Teena Gabrielson, provided moral support. At Routledge, Stephanie Rogers and Helen Baker have shepherded me through the editorial process as a first-time author, always promptly responding to my queries and making the distance between London and Austin seem minimal.