A Comparative and Empirical Study of the Structural Changes in Politics and Transformations in Pressure Groups, Policy Networks, and Civil Society in Japan since 2009

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22223001
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Politics
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: TSUJINAKA Yutaka 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 教授 (70145944)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TSUBOGO Minoru 早稲田大学, 社会科学総合学術院, 教授 (20118061) ; ONISHI Yutaka 神戸大学, 法学研究科, 教授 (90254375) ; TAKENAKA Yoshihiko 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 教授 (80236489) ; MORI Hiroki 同志社大学, 法学部, 教授 (70329936) ; KOJIMA Kazuko 慶應義塾大学, 法学部, 准教授 (00344854) ; SAKAMOTO Haruya 関西大学, 法学部, 准教授 (30420657) ; KONDO Yasushi 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 准教授 (00323238) ; DADABAEV Timur 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 准教授 (10376626) ; YAMAMOTO Hidehiro 山形大学, 地域教育文化学部, 准教授 (20431661) ; CHOE Jae-Yong 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 准教授 (80332550) ; HAMAMOTO Shinsuke 北九州市立大学, 法学部, 准教授 (20625850) ; YANAGI Itaru 琉球大学, 法文学部, 准教授 (20647341) ; KUBO Yoshiaki 琉球大学, 法文学部, 准教授 (00619687)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 圧力団体 / 市民社会 / 利益団体 / 政策ネットワーク / 有権者意識 / 政治構造 / 政権交代 / 比較政治

Outline of Final Research Achievements

By surveying pressure groups, associations, policy network, and constituencies, we have found the following. In contemporary Japan, compared to older generations, the younger are less organized. And also non-manufacturing sector is less organized than the manufacturing. Viewed internationally, this characterizes Japan’s distinctiveness. Also, while older associations established after WWII are still robust, new associations have been modest in interest aggregation. Overall, the world of associations is shrinking. Under such social environment, it is difficult to assume that the initiatives taken by associations resulted in the governmental change in 2009. The change of government, however, affected the activities of the peak associations. Civil society is easily impacted by changes in politics. Our study shows that the effects of the change of government in 2009 were mainly found at the peak level. Almost no changes have been found in the Global Environmental Policy Network.

Free Research Field

政治学