1999 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

The Impact of Independent Voters on Party System Change in Japan

Research Project

Project/Area Number	10620077
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Politics
Research Institution	Waseda University
Principal Investigator	TANAKA Aiji Waseda University, School of Political Science and Economics, Professor, 政治経済学部, 教授 (40188280)
Project Period (FY)	1998 – 1999
Keywords	Indedendents / The 1955 Party System / Party System / Partisanship / Voter Attitudes / Partison Realignment / Partison Dealignment / Public Opinion
Research Abstract	I have examined Japanese party system from 1972 to 1996, and have found that Japanese party system was gradually transformed as the independent voters increased. In addition, Japanese party system clearly changed its nature around 1986 to 1987 when the bipolar structure of liberal-conservative or left-right division started diminishing. Given these two factors as independent variables, Japanese party system has been experiencing partisan dealignment as well as partisan realignment at the same time. It is still in its transitional period, but the transformation took place in Japanese party system will not be reversible.

(6 results)