A Comprehensive Study of Political Structures and Political Awareness at the Local Level of Society

这项研究进行了三年的时间，并通过采用三个大规模的问卷调查，旨在掌握日本地方政治的整体情况。因此，研究并不局限于一个地区，而是扩展到大部分近畿县、鸟取县和新泻县，以及人口超过100万的未包括在这些地区的所有主要城市。1988年，通过邮寄方式向8628名议员和387名政府领导人（市长、省长等）发出了前两份问卷，其中35%和46%的问卷已完成。第二年，又向同一地区的5226名选民发出了类似性质的调查问卷；其中35%已完成归还。对日本地方政治的实质研究尚未展开。因此，从这个意义上说，这三份调查问卷提供了当地政治中三个主要参与者关于类似主题的重要信息。这将使……更多的是从不同层面对地方政治的看法进行比较，因此，希望这将导致对日本基层社会中发挥如此重要作用的政治有一个更全面的三维概念。结果被统计成表格，然后由小组成员对这些计算进行各种分析。这些分析的结果随后发表在成员们撰写的论文中。虽然不是所有的发现都可以在这里列出，但一些更有趣的发现如下。Nakamura在关注社会阶层认同和根据党派分配不公正的感觉时，发现对政党的实际偏好似乎强烈地影响着人们对社会的看法，而不是收入和教育等变量。最后，他指出，在讨论政党未来的作用和成功时，衡量分配不公正的感觉尤其可以证明是很有解释性的。Aiba在他关于无党派人士的论文中，通过使用多变量分析显示了诸如年龄、职业、居住年限等人口因素的权重。某些社会团体的成员资格会影响一个人支持或不支持某个政党。他指出，无党派人士的数量在不断增加，他们最终将对未来的社会产生影响。作为对近期政治事件的评论，如一连串涉及金钱和性的丑闻，肯特关于羞耻的论文阐明了公众对最近政客不当行为的怨恨。这份报告还指出，随着日本社会越来越城市化，越来越以科技为导向，社区之间的不和谐情绪也越来越强烈。其他论文涵盖了广泛的主题，包括那些渴望政治的人的社会化过程和那些参与政治的人的政策制定过程。由于这项研究是由许多不同学科的研究人员进行的，因此所获得的数据涵盖了大量与政治相关的主题。从这项研究中获得的丰富数据的全部意义尚未实现，但中期报告表明，这些结果为一些迄今未知的问题带来了曙光，并为一些已经构建的框架增添了活力。毫无疑问，对这些数据的进一步深入分析将为今后的研究奠定一些重要的基础。少

This research was conducted over a three year period and was carried out through by employing three large scale questionnaires that aimed at grasping an overall picture of local politics in japan. Thus research was not limited to one single area, but extended to cover most of the kinki are, Tottori and Niigata Prefectures and all major cities not included in these areas with a population of over one million.In 1988 the first two questionnaires, addressed to 8628 assemblymen and 387 government leaders (mayors, governors, etc.) were sent out by post and of these 35% and 46% respectively were returned completed. In the following year, another questionnaire of a similar nature was sent out to 5226 voters in the same areas ; 35% of these were returned completed. Research of substance on local politics in Japan has yet to be conducted. Thus, in this sense, these three questionnaires provided vital information on similar subjects from three major participants in local politics. This will enab … More le a comparison of perceptions surrounding local politics from differing levels, Consequently, it is hoped that this will lead to a more overall three dimensional conception of the politics that play such an important role in grassroots society in Japan.Results were statistically tabulated and various analyses of these calculations were then carried out by members of the group. Findings from these analyses were subsequently presented in papers written by the members. Although not all the findings can be listed here, some of the more interesting findings are as follows. Nakamura, in focusing on social strata identity and feeling of distributive injustice according to party affiliation, found that rather than variables such as income and education, the actual preference showed for a political party seemed to influence strongly people's perception of society.In concluding he notes that in discussing the future roles and successes of political parties, the measurement of the feeling of distributive injustice, in particular, could prove to be very explanatory. Aiba, in his paper on nonpartisans, shows through the use of multi-variate analyses the weight demographic factors such as age, occupation, years of residence etc. And membership in certain social groups have in influencing a person in either supporting or not supporting a political party. He points to the growing number of nonpartisans and the eventual influence they will have on society in the future. As a comment on more recent events in politics such as the rash of scandals involving money and sex, Kent's paper on shame elucidates the rancor felt by the public in relation to the improper behavior recently of politicians. This report also points to a growing feeling of discord among communities as Japanese society becomes more urban and more technology oriented.Other papers cover a wide range of topics including such subjects as the socialization processes of those who aspire to politics and the policy making processes of those in politics. As this study was carried out by researchers in a number of different disciplines, the data obtained covers a large number of politically related topics. The full meaning of the abundant and rich data reaped from this study has yet to be realized but the interim reports indicate that these results have brought light to a number of hitherto unknowns and also added body to some already constructed frames. No doubt, further more in-depth analyses of this data will lay some important grounds for future research. Less