A Basic Study of "Koenkai(personal supporters' association)" in Modern Japan

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12506
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 03020:Japanese history-related
• Research Institution: Kokugakuin University
• Principal Investigator: Tezuka Yuta 國學院大學, 文学部, 准教授 (60802767)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 日本近現代史 / 日本政治史 / 選挙研究 / 地方政治 / 近現代史 / 個人後援会 / 内務省

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research project, I examined the history of " Koenkai (personal supporters' association)," which supports politicians' political activities today, before and after World War II. First, using documents from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which handled election affairs in the prewar period, I quantitatively examined the nationwide distribution of "Koenkai" in the prewar period. I published the results in one academic paper. Second, I published three academic papers that clarified the situation of politicians' support bases, "Koenkai," and election campaigns in the prewar period. Third, based on the results of my research, I wrote a textbook for the Open University of Japan, "Modern and Contemporary History of Japan," and also presented a rough sketch of "Koenkai" and political parties from the prewar to the postwar period. Although I obtained many research results, the analysis of the postwar period remains an issue for the future.

Free Research Field

日本近現代史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、戦前・戦後の後援会について事例研究を積み重ねるとともに、詳細が明らかでなかった戦前期後援会について量的に明らかにすることで、双方向の視点から見取図を提示し得た点に学術的意義がある。また、選挙運動に従事する政治家家族の存在を視野に入れ、1920年代後半から選挙運動が名望家集団から候補者個人や家族を中心にするものへと変化していく過程を論じたことも意義の一つである。
二大政党政治を目指した政治改革を経た現代においても、選挙運動は個人に多くを依存している。本研究はその淵源が戦前にあったことをも示唆していよう。現代日本政治を考えるうえでも重要な知見を見いだしたことは社会的意義の一つである。