Regime Shift

The Liberal Democratic Party, which dominated postwar Japan, lost power in the early 1990s. During that same period, Japan's once stellar economy suffered stagnation and collapse. Now a well-known commentator on contemporary Japan traces the political dynamics of the country to determine the reasons for these changes and the extent to which its political and economic systems have been permanently altered.

T.J. Pempel contrasts the political economy of Japan during two decades: the 1960s, when the nation experienced conservative political dominance and high growth, and the early 1990s, when the "bubble economy" collapsed and electoral Politics changed. The different dynamics of the two periods indicate a regime shift in which the present political economy deviates profoundly from earlier forms. This shift has involved a transformation in socioeconomic alliances, political and economic institutions, and public policy profile, rendering Japanese politics far less predictable than in the past. Pempel weighs the Japanese case against comparative data from the Unit

Preface

ix

Introduction: Long Continuities, Radical Shifts

1

(18)

PART I. REGIMES---DIVERGENT APPROACHES TO POSTWAR STABILITY

Patterns of Political Economy: A Range of Regimes

19

(23)

Japan in the 1960s: Conservative Politics and Economic Growth

42

(39)

From Chaos to Cohesion: Formation of the Conservative Regime

81

(32)

PART II. REGIME SHIFTS---ADJUSTMENT, COLLAPSE, AND RECONSTRUCTION

Transition and Breakdown: An Era of Reconfigurations

113

(23)

Japan in the 1990s: Fragmented Politics and Economic Turmoil

136

(33)

Between Adjustment and Unraveling: Protection and Erosion of the Old Regime

169

(52)

Conclusion: Regimes in a Changing World Economy

206

(15)

Notes

221

(36)

Index

257

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