Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer examines the inner mechanisms of the political system of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The writer maintains that there are several key factors that account for its undeniable success, the most prominent of which include its complex structure and diverse support base, its ability to be flexible, pragmatic and non-ideological, and its relatively weak, fragmented and unorganized competition. Furthermore, the party also possesses the extraordinary ability to overcome the plethora of political barriers and scandals they have faced. The writer concludes that the conservative foundation built by the Liberal-Democrats is firmly entrenched within Japanese culture and its structural fundamentals suggest that its enormous influence on Japanese life will remain for many more years to come.

From the Paper:

"In additional, further bias of election law is evident in the mal-apportionment of Japanese electoral districts. A census, which dates back to 1946, has provided the framework for the current distribution of the lower house and the corresponding districts associated with them. At that time, rural communities were the dominant force of Japanese demographics due to the drastic decline in population of major urban centers, such as Nagasaki and Tokyo. This was due to the various ramifications of the Second World War, including, ordered civilian evacuations, the tens-of-thousands that had left to serve in the military and, most significantly, the atomic bomb which desecrated two entire Japanese cities in a matter of moments. Once the War had receded, the urban centers where swiftly repopulated. It did not take long until the cities had grown considerably since the pre-war era and despite this major demographic shift, the distribution and apportionment of seats for the House of Representatives has remained unchanged."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Christopher, Robert C., The Japanese Mind: the Goliath Explained, Linden Press/Simon and Schuster, 1983
• Curtis, Gerald, Election Campaigning Japanese Style, New York and London, Columbia University Press, 1971
• Hyde, Sarah, From Old Socialists to New Democrats: The Transformation of the Japanese Left, Abingdon and New York, Routledge, 2008
• J. A. A. Stockwin, Governing Japan: Divided Politics in a Resurgent Economy, Blackwell Publishing, 4th edn, 2008
• J. A. A. Stockwin, Japan: Divided Politics in a Growth Economy, London, Weidenfeld, 2nd edn., 1982

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