Japan Under the DPJ: The Paradox of Political Change Without Policy Change

Abstract

In 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) brought an end to the long reign of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). However, despite high expectations, this politically transformative event has not unleashed significant policy change in Japan. We highlight five electoral factors that have acted as important constraints on policy change under DPJ rule. First, majoritarian electoral rules have led to a convergence in the policy positions of the two major political parties. Second, as the parties' policy positions have become more similar, voters have increasingly cast ballots based on “valence” (i.e., nonpolicy) evaluations. Third, large national vote swings have limited the tenure of young, inexperienced candidates who might otherwise serve as the instigators of reform. Fourth, Japan's electoral rules permit inconsistency across policy positions within parties and discourage greater policy coherence. Fifth, the continuing influence of rural regions has limited the scope of policy reform under the DPJ.

A Casualty of Political Transformation? The Politics of Energy Efficiency in the Japanese Transportation Sector

“…5 Such factors undoubtedly played a role in muddling the decisionmaking process of the DPJ once in office. However, in this article, I analyze the DPJ's transportation policies from a broader perspective, focusing on political changes over the past two decades (Lipscy and Scheiner 2012) and historical patterns of Japanese transportation policymaking.…”

“…DPJ transportation policymaking has been constrained by two additional factors attributable to the evolution of Japanese politics over the past two decades (Lipscy and Scheiner 2012). First, in recent years, the policy positions of the LDP and DPJ have moved toward convergence, motivated by an electoral system that emphasizes the preference of the median voter (Scheiner 2012;McElwain 2012).…”

“…The unit spread out across the country to publicize the issue and picketed the Diet building in an attempt to thwart gasoline-related legislation. 42 Importantly, the LDP was subject to similar electoral incentives during this period (Scheiner 2012;Lipscy and Scheiner 2012;McElwain 2012). Both parties faced strong incentives to adopt populist policies with broad appeal to the general public, and given the unpopularity of status quo transportation policies, it was natural that electorally minded reformists in each party seized upon the issue.…”

Positioning under Alternative Electoral Systems: Evidence from Japanese Candidate Election Manifestos

“…Studies suggesting they are include Reed, Scheiner, and Thies (2012), who found that their support bases began to converge after 2005 and valence considerations such as competence became important determinants of electoral victory; Scheiner (2012), who found that they discussed more of the same issues in Amy Catalinac 2009than in 2003and Dalton and Tanaka (2007), who found that voters perceived them to be closer in 2004 than in 1996. Indirect evidence is also found in the absence of conspicuous policy changes following the Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ's) landslide victory in 2009 (e.g., Lipscy and Scheiner 2012;Hughes 2012). Studies implying divergence, however, include Sasada, Fujimura, and Machidori (2013), who document polarization in their roll-call votes after 2000; Taniguchi (2006), who finds considerable differences in their policy preferences; Shinoda (2009), who finds evidence of pre-election parliamentary confrontation between them; and Winkler (2013), who finds that candidates of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) shifted to the ideological right in recent years.…”

Japan's Regional Inequality in Hard Times

“… Ibid. ; Phillip Y. Lipscy and Ethan Scheiner, “Japan under the DPJ: The Paradox of Political Change without Policy Change,” Journal of East Asian Studies , 12‐3 (2012), pp. 313–317; Aurelia George Mulgan, op.…”