Democratic Transformation in the Age of Nonpartisan Politics

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The purpose of this research is to clarify the contemporary mode of local democracy under the post-1955 regime from the point of view of social and political change. We have paid attention to the rise of various types of governors, which embody newly emerging political cleavages, resulting in a comparative analysis of gubernatorial election in five prefectures (Tokushima, Kochi, Tokyo, Nagano and Shiga). A series of five survey researches on gubernatorial elections was conducted in the year 2004-2007, combining about two hundred interviews with political actors. In addition, we also conducted a survey research on social milieus and politics in Tokyo in 2005. The results of these researches are the following.(1) The results of investigation in Tokushima were published on a book which explored the logical and actual confrontation between technocracy and grassroots democracy. The weakening power of existing political organizations has led to direct linkages between polity and electorates, … More which resulted in the rise of reformist governors(embodying technocracy)in prefectures such as Iwate, Miyagi, Tottori and Tokushima and resident's movements(embodying grassroots democracy)in Tokushima and Shiga.(2) In addition, populism is also used as an efficient way of governing disorganized electorates in such prefectures as Tokyo, Nagano, Miyazaki and Osaka. Emergence of various types of governors can be regarded as a result of political realignment toward oppositional preference between partisans and nonpartisans.(3) Our survey research conducted in Tokyo in 2005 showed German studies on social milieus can shed light on some neglected aspects of Japanese politics. The rise of green and radical right parties has been a hot issue on European politics, but they were hardly discussed in the Japanese context. Our analysis on social milieus and politics in Japan suggests that there are social milieu basis to support radical right political force, while passiveness of left-libertarian milieu as a potential support basis for green parties hindered the emergence of left-libertarian parties in Japan. Less