Modern Japanese political structure

Author: (Japan) Kazuhiko Ozawa
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-11-01
Features: To elucidate the functional and structural characteristics of Japanese politics in the 21st century, this book analyzes the issue from the vertical perspective of international relations and the horizontal comparison of political systems. Understanding the political features of a country should not be limited to political-economic analysis but should also involve analyzing and researching the characteristics of political culture (legitimacy) from a historical perspective. The book consists of three chapters: "The International Environment of the 21st Century," "The Political Structure of Modern Japan," and "Comparative Study of Asian Political Systems." In the analysis of the 21st-century international environment, the book primarily discusses the formation process of the U.S.-led imperial system that gradually emerged after the Cold War system. In the second chapter, it examines the characteristics of Japanese politics by studying the Liberal Democratic Party regime, the initiatives of the central government, and the trends of local governments seeking reform. In the third chapter, it compares the regionalist trends forming in Asia with other Asian countries' political systems and Japan's political system. Based on clarifying the structure of the "world empire system" led by the U.S. that has become increasingly prominent in the early 21st century (independent variable), the book contrasts Japan's political system, which has been impacted by U.S.-initiated globalization (subordinate variable), and further presents the characteristics of Japan's political system by comparing it with the political systems of neighboring Asian regions.