The Abe Legacy

The Abe Legacy PDF Author: James Brown
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1793643318
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
The book offers a study of a fascinating political personality, that of Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzôō (2012-2020). Abe's political career was boosted by his predecessor Koizumi Jun.ichirōô and he seemed extremely promising at 51 when he rose to become the youngest Cabinet Secretariat chief, however once in power in 2007 he disappointed by resigning after only one year. Yet, he rose again in 2012 to become the longest-serving prime minister of Japan's history since the end of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), when Japan went through a radical process of modernisation and westernisation, becoming a major military and imperialist power in the process. The book seeks to answer three questions. How could Abe Shinzô remain in power for nearly a decade in a country where prime ministers usually have much shorter terms, in some cases of only one year? He remained in power in spite of the fact that he sought to conduct massive reforms. What was the policy mix devised to keep voters happy, while promoting structural reforms and growth? He was in power for almost ten years. What is his legacy: what remains of his tenure as chief executive?

Koizumi and Japanese Politics

Koizumi and Japanese Politics PDF Author: Yu Uchiyama
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135149704
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 329

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Book Description
This book offers an empirical and theoretical study of the Koizumi administration, covering such issues as the characteristics of its political style, its domestic and foreign policies, and its larger historical significance. The key questions that guide its approach are: what enabled Koizumi to exercise unusually strong leadership, and what structural transformations of Japanese politics did he achieve? Uchiyama looks at policy-making processes, newly created institutional arenas such as the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, Koizumi’s populist strategy, foreign policy, and neo-liberal convictions to assess the historical significance of his administration and seek out the basis for its wide public support. Finally, the book undertakes a normative evaluation of the merits and demerits of the Koizumi administration’s political style, and compares it with the Abe and Fukuda administrations that came after. This book will be of interest to scholars and students with an interest in comparative politics, administrative reform, and contemporary Japan.

The Abe Legacy

The Abe Legacy PDF Author: James Brown
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1793643318
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 317

Get Book Here

Book Description
The book offers a study of a fascinating political personality, that of Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzôō (2012-2020). Abe's political career was boosted by his predecessor Koizumi Jun.ichirōô and he seemed extremely promising at 51 when he rose to become the youngest Cabinet Secretariat chief, however once in power in 2007 he disappointed by resigning after only one year. Yet, he rose again in 2012 to become the longest-serving prime minister of Japan's history since the end of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), when Japan went through a radical process of modernisation and westernisation, becoming a major military and imperialist power in the process. The book seeks to answer three questions. How could Abe Shinzô remain in power for nearly a decade in a country where prime ministers usually have much shorter terms, in some cases of only one year? He remained in power in spite of the fact that he sought to conduct massive reforms. What was the policy mix devised to keep voters happy, while promoting structural reforms and growth? He was in power for almost ten years. What is his legacy: what remains of his tenure as chief executive?

The Iconoclast

The Iconoclast PDF Author: Tobias Harris
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 1787385132
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Book Description
Shinzo Abe entered politics burdened by high expectations: that he would change Japan. In 2007, seemingly overwhelmed, he resigned after only a year as prime minister. Yet, following five years of reinvention, he masterfully regained the premiership in 2012, and now dominates Japanese democracy as no leader has done before. Abe has inspired fierce loyalty among his followers, cowing Japan's left with his ambitious economic program and support for the security and armed forces. He has staked a leadership role for Japan in a region being rapidly transformed by the rise of China and India, while carefully preserving an ironclad relationship with Trump's America. The Iconoclast tells the story of Abe's meteoric rise and stunning fall, his remarkable comeback, and his unlikely emergence as a global statesman laying the groundwork for Japan's survival in a turbulent century.

Japan’s Foreign and Security Policy Under the ‘Abe Doctrine’

Japan’s Foreign and Security Policy Under the ‘Abe Doctrine’ PDF Author: C. Hughes
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137514256
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 125

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Book Description
Japan is shifting onto a new trajectory for a more muscular national security policy, US-Japan alliance ties functioning for regional and global security, and the encirclement of China's influence in East Asia. The author explores how PM Abe Shinz?'s doctrine may prove contradictory and counter-productive to Japanese national interests.

Curing Japan's America Addiction

Curing Japan's America Addiction PDF Author: Minoru Morita
Publisher: Chin Music
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
A progressive vision for a more independent, democratic Japan free of American-style militarism and capitalism.

Japanese Diplomacy

Japanese Diplomacy PDF Author: H. D. P. Envall
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438454996
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
A political leader is most often a nation's most high-profile foreign policy figure, its chief diplomat. But how do individual leadership styles, personalities, perceptions, or beliefs shape diplomacy? In Japanese Diplomacy, the question of what role leadership plays in diplomacy is applied to Japan, a country where the individual is often viewed as being at the mercy of the group and where prime ministers have been largely thought of as reactive and weak. In challenging earlier, simplified ideas of Japanese political leadership, H. D. P. Envall argues that Japan's leaders, from early Cold War figures such as Yoshida Shigeru to the charismatic and innovative Koizumi Jun'ichirō to the present leadership of Abe Shinzō, have pursued leadership strategies of varying coherence and rationality, often independent of their political environment. He also finds that different Japanese leaders have shaped Japanese diplomacy in some important and underappreciated ways. In certain environments, individual difference has played a significant role in determining Japan's diplomacy, both in terms of the country's strategic identity and summit diplomacy. What emerges from Japanese Diplomacy, therefore, is a more nuanced overall picture of Japanese leadership in foreign affairs.

The Quest for Japan's New Constitution

The Quest for Japan's New Constitution PDF Author: Christian G. Winkler
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415593964
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
This book examines the many attempts over the last three decades to revise Japan’s constitution. As the book shows, these attempts at revision have been relatively conservative, aiming to embed in the constitution visions of a different future for Japan. Specific reforms advocated include: enabling Japan to have a more proactive foreign policy, more independent of the US-Japan alliance; strengthening the role of the Emperor, and excluding female succession to the throne; and emphasising more citizens’ duties, rather than their rights, in order to strengthen community and societal cohesion. By far the most comprehensive analysis of constitutional reform debate in Japan to be published to date, it offers translations and analysis of more than two dozen amendment proposals. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the details of the reform proposals, charts the so far unsuccessful attempts to bring about the reforms, discusses the different groups arguing for reform, and assesses the nature of the proposed reforms. It categorises different versions of the vision for Japan’s future and shows that only a few campaigners are advocating anything like a return to Japan’s pre-war constitution.

Decision-Making Reform in Japan

Decision-Making Reform in Japan PDF Author: Karol Zakowski
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317518497
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
In the election to the House of Representatives in 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) almost tripled the number of its lower house members by winning 308 seats. It subsequently formed a coalition government with the Social Democratic Party and the People’s New Party. The new ruling party promised to completely overhaul policymaking mechanisms that had been shaped over the past decades. Yet, the Japanese people quickly felt disappointed with the DPJ’s ‘policymaking engineering’. Examining the evolution of the decision-making process in Japan under the DPJ administration between the years 2009-2012, this book offers a multidimensional explanation for the reasons for the DPJ’s failure in producing effective policymaking mechanisms. Implementing conceptual tools borrowed from historical institutionalism, the author explains why the Democrats displayed inflexibility in introducing selected elements of the Westminster system, incoherence in regard to many aspects of the decision-making reform, and unwillingness to take advantage of all of the institutional resources at their disposal. The book argues that the examination of the DPJ’s origins and interactions with other parties is crucial in understanding its misconceptions regarding the institutional model, policy vision, and institutional tools required for a durable change in policymaking patterns. Illustrating its argument with a range of case studies, this book explains why, ultimately, the DPJ’s concept of a politician-led government resulted in failure. It will also be helpful in understanding the prerequisites for the success of institutional reforms in general. As such it will be of interest to students and scholars of Japanese studies, Political science, Asian studies.

Japan Decides 2014

Japan Decides 2014 PDF Author: Robert J. Pekkanen
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 113755200X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Collecting original and high-quality analysis by top scholars from Japan, the United States, Australia, and Europe, this volume analyzes the results of the 2014 election, examining each of the major political parties, central policy issues, campaign practices, and considers how the results were used as a mandate for massive policy reform.

Bilateralism, Multilateralism and Asia-Pacific Security

Bilateralism, Multilateralism and Asia-Pacific Security PDF Author: William T. Tow
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113597389X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
Many scholars of international relations in Asia regard bilateralism and multilateralism as alternative and mutually exclusive approaches to security co-operation. They argue that multilateral associations such as ASEAN will eventually replace the system of bilateral alliances which were the predominant form of U.S. security co-operation with Asia-Pacific allies during the Cold War. Yet these bilateral alliances continue to be the primary means of the United States’ strategic engagement with the region. This book contends that bilateralism and multilateralism are not mutually exclusive, and that bilateralism is likely to continue strong even as multilateralism strengthens. It explores a wide range of issues connected with this question. It discusses how US bilateral alliances have been reinvigorated in recent years, examines how bilateral and multilateral approaches to specific problems can work alongside each other, and concludes by considering how patterns of international security are likely to develop in the region in future.