Table of Contents

Introduction1 1. The Politics of Complacency 2. The End of One-Party Dominance 3. The Rise and Fall of Coalition Government 4. The Politics of Electoral Reform 5. The LDP's Return to Power 6. Japan's Uncertain Political Future

Promotional Information

Curtis surveys the current state of Japanese politics and predicts what events are likely to transpire in Japan in the coming years. This book offers a unique perspective into Japanese political identity through the lens of its relation to worldwide political systems.

Promotional Information

There are no scholars better suited than [Curtis] to show the way, given his more than three decades of research on Japan and his unparalleled access to many of the country's major political figures. -- Andrew DeWitt, Shimonoseki City University, Japan Gerald Curtis is the author of an earlier classic, Election Campaigning Japanese Style, on the electioneering process in Japan. He has done it again with this book -- encyclopedic in its coverage of Japanese politics in the 1990s and heuristic in its interpretation of the changes that led to the breakdown of the 1955 system and the emergence of Japan's new politics at the end of the century. It is an indispensable reference for anyone who needs to know how the political system in Japan works today and needs to understand its uncertain future. -- Peter Drysdale, Australia-Japan Research Centre, Australian National University In this vivid, scholarly account of the end of one-party dominance and the search for a new political order Curtis provides fascinating accounts of political maneuvering which he places in the perspective of comparative politics. -- Ezra Vogel, director of the Asia Center, Harvard University Curtis explains the twists and turns of Japanese politics in the 1990s with the canny eye of the insider's insider, and brings his political science wisdom to bear on the deeper trends of Japanese politics and society. -- John Campbell, professor of political science, University of Michigan Few Westerners have a longer or deeper familiarity with the personalities of Japanese party politics than Gerald Curtis. In The Logic of Japanese Politics he provides a masterfully nuanced analysis of the complex interplay between Japanese leaders and institutions during the 1990s. This is an essential book for anyone anxious to follow the political developments of this dynamic decade. -- T. J. Pempel, Boeing Professor of International Studies, University of Washington Gerald Curtis has produced a brilliantly written, powerfully argued, and profoundly insightful analysis of the complex cultural, institutional, and human factors that shape policy in Japan... This is a must-read for anyone who seeks to genuinely understand America's largest overseas trading partner and major Pacific ally. -- Robert D. Hormats, vice chairman, Goldman Sachs (International) The Logic of Japanese Politics offers a hugely fascinating tour through contemporary Japanese politics. Gerry Curtis makes the mysterious understandable while shaking up your view of what might have seemed obvious. Specialists will appreciate Curtis's expertise, but anyone who loves politics will be grateful for this insightful look at how power works in Japan. -- E. J. Dionne Jr., The Brookings Institution, author of Why Americans Hate Politics

About the Author

Gerald L. Curtis is Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University and the former director of the East Asian Institute. He is the author of The Japanese Way of Politics and Election Campaigning Japanese Style, both published by Columbia University Press.

Reviews

Logic is a fine book, in fact an outstanding one. The jacket blurbs are, for once, right in their enthusiasm...For the Japanese scholar, the detail-oriented reader and anyone who wants an insider's view, written by an outsider, this book has no current peer. -- John E. Tropman Asia Pacific Business Review [A] senior statesman in the field... Curtis does not shun the complexity and uncertainty of post-1993 Japanese politics, but revels in it. He has produced a remarkable book that presents the political history of the 1990s in its full complexity. -- Steven K. Vogel, University of California, Berkeley Journal of Democracy No American has done a better job of explaining the seemingly inexplicable world of Japanese politics than Professor Gerry Curtis of Columbia. His latest book, his best, is extremely valuable, concise, thoughtful, and very well written. -- David Halberstam insightful, comprehensive and impressive...compelling reading...compulsory reading for anyone serious about understanding Japanese politics. -- David Walton Asian Studies Review