Japan Decides 2012 The Japanese General Election

In this, the first volume in a new Japanese General Election Series, an impressive roll call of contributors explores the 2012 Lower House poll, an election that was characterized by the return to power of the longtime dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the growth in popularity of smaller 'outsider' parties as well as the concomitant demise of Japan's first 'opposition' (Democratic Party of Japan) government. The volume boasts high-quality, original analysis by top scholars from Japan, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. With chapters focusing on a variety of facets of the election, including the major political parties, important policy issues, and campaign practices, the volume provides a comprehensive analysis. It is vital reading for anyone interested in Japanese politics, as well as elections in general.

Robert Pekkanen is Associate Professor in the University of Washington Jackson School of International Studies. He is the author of a number of articles and books on Japanese and comparative politics, including Japan's Dual Civil Society and The Rise and Fall of Japan's LDP: Political Party Organizations as Historical Institutions.
 
Steven R. Reed is Professor of modern government at Chuo University in Japan. He has written widely on Japanese and comparative parties and elections. Most recently, he has edited Japanese Electoral Politics: Creating a New Party System, and Political Change in Japan: Electoral Behavior, Party Realignment, and the Koizumi Reforms.
 
Ethan Scheiner is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Davis. His is the author of Democracy Without Competition in Japan: Opposition Failure in a One-Party Dominant State and Electoral Systems and Political Context: How the Effects of Rules Vary Across New and Established Democracies.

Preface
List of Abbreviations
Contributor Bios
Introduction
1. Introduction
2. Japanese Politics Between the 2009 and 2012 Elections
3. Keeping It Together: Party Unity and the 2012 Election; Ben Nyblade
4. The Japanese General Election of 2012: The LDP Wins Big by Default
PART I: POLITICAL PARTIES
5. The LDP's Path Back to Power: The Liberal Democratic Party; Masahisa Endo
6. The Remains of the DPJ: The Democratic Party of Japan; Robert Weiner
7. Challenging the Two-Party System: Third Force Parties in the 2012 Election
8. Komeito - In Search of Independence; Axel Klein
PART II: CAMPAIGNING, CANDIDATES, AND DISTRICTS
9. Candidate Recruitment for the 2012 Election: New Parties, New Methods... Same Old Faces?; Dan Smith
10. New Inter-Election Campaign Tools; Kuniaki Nemoto
11. Malapportionment and the 2012 Election; Ray Christensen
12. What the 2012 Lower House Elections Has to Say about Japan's Urban-Rural Divide; Kay Shimizu
13. Campaign Finance Irregularities, Sex Scandals and the Election; Matt Carlson
14. Women Candidates and Political Parties in Election 2012; Sherry Martin Murphy
PART III: GOVERNANCE AND POLICY
15. Foreign Policy as an Election Issue; Paul Midford
16. Election Surprise: Abenomics and Central Bank Independence Trump Nationalism and Fukushima; Yves Tiberghien
17. Right Rising? Ideology and the 2012 House of Representatives Election; Chris Winkler
18. Farmers, Agricultural Policies and the Election; Aurelia George Mulgan
19. Governance with a Twist: How Bicameralism affects Japanese Lawmaking; Michael Thies and Yuki Yanai