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Fragmentation and Power: Reconceptualizing Policy Making under Japan's 1955 System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2008

JOHN CREIGHTON CAMPBELL  and
ETHAN SCHEINER
JOHN CREIGHTON CAMPBELL
Affiliation:
Emeritus Professor, University of Michiganjccamp@umich.edu
ETHAN SCHEINER
Affiliation:
Associate Professor, University of California, Davisescheiner@ucdavis.edu
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Abstract

In the 1980s, a wave of new–extremely clever and detailed–studies revolutionized the Japanese politics field. The empirical findings of this ‘new paradigm’ literature remain the conventional wisdom on Japanese policy-making patterns under the ‘1955 System’. In this paper, we offer a critical reinterpretation of the new paradigm literature. We do not offer new empirical analysis, but, rather, reconsider this conventional wisdom by putting a new spin on the evidence previous authors utilized to analyze the policy-making process in Japan under the 1955 System. Contrary to the conventional view of strong central bureaucratic power, we argue that in the 1960s policy making was quite fragmented. In contrast to literature suggesting substantial politician influence in the 1980s, we argue that there was a decline in the influence of politicians in general in policy making.

Type
Review Essay
Information
Japanese Journal of Political Science , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , April 2008 , pp. 89 - 113
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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