2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Development and Decline of the Socialist Party and Social Democracy in post-war Japan
| Project/Area Number |
11420012
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Politics
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| Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
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Principal Investigator |
YAMAGUCHI Jiro Hokkaido University, Law School, Professor, 大学院・法学研究科, 教授 (70143352)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SAKAI Tetsuya The U. of Tokyo, Grad. School of General Culture, Professor, 教養学部, 教授 (20162266)
MURAKAMI Shinichiro Kobe City U. for Foreign Studies, Fac. of Foreign Language, Professor, 外国語学部, 教授 (10305675)
SHINKAWA Toshimitsu Hokkaido University, Law School, Professor, 大学院・法学研究科, 教授 (30216212)
NAKAKITA Koji Rikkyo University, Faculty of Law, Associate Professor, 法学部, 教授 (30272412)
YONEHARA Ken Osaka U., Grad. School of International Public Policy, Professor, 大学院・国際公共政策研究科, 教授 (30137301)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1999 – 2001
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| Keywords | Socialist Party / Social Democracy / Party Politics |
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| Research Abstract |
In the second half of the 1990s, social democratic party recaptured governments in Britain, France and Germany, In Italy, center-left coalition, formed through party realignment in the mid-90s, kept the government for years. In contrast to such political transformation, Japanese social democratic party (SPDJ) declined rapidly, and virtually appears to lose influence although there was a movement for party realignment. Reasons for this phenomenon are thus.
First, SPDJ abandoned agenda for government in the late 1950s, and continued to be a minor critical force in Japanese politics. Pacifism justified its posture. Secondly, pork barrel politics by Liberal Democratic Party functioned as quasi social democratic policy, especially for countryside. Since the 1980s, reform of inefficient distribution system came to be the most important subject. However, SPDJ was not able to propose its own alternative. Thirdly, SDPJ could not capture citizens, who became politically volatile as labor unions or companies could not offer enough incentive.
Although the social democratic party declined, political force that pursues the idea of social democracy will be necessary after neo-liberal reform ruins quasi safety net in the near future.
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