Drivers of Political Interference by Military Officers: An Individual-Level Quantitative Analysis

• Project/Area Number: 24K16290
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 06010:Politics-related
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: 西條 春信 広島大学, 人間社会科学研究科(国), 助教 (40989646)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2028-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,810,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,110,000); Fiscal Year 2027: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: civil-military relations / comparative politics

Outline of Research at the Start

Civilian control is a vital aspect for the stability of civilian-led political regimes. The purpose of this project is to understand what makes military officers engage in political activity. I will generate personnel data from the interwar Japanese military to analyze the systematic drivers of what made some officers intervene in politics while others stayed out. The results of this research will likely help us understand contemporary cases where the military intervenes in politics, as happens in other countries such as Turkey, Myanmar, or Thailand.