Critical Review of the Abe Administration

Politics of Conservatism and Realism

Yoichi Funabashi, Koji Nakakita, Yoichi Funabashi, Koji Nakakita, International House of Japan, International House of Japan

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781032548852
• eBook ISBN: 9781003827108
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Social Sciences

The second Abe administration, which lasted for seven years and eight months, turned out to be the longest administration in Japan's constitutional history. What factors contributed to its remarkable longevity? What accomplishments and enduring legacies did this administration achieve during its tenure?

Originally published in Bungeishunju in Japanese, this book examines policies pursued by the administration and its governance based on over 50 investigative interviews with key figures in the administration, including former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The contributors cover nine major policies, including economic policy, diplomacy and security, work style reform, trade liberalization, and historical issues, and explore why a specific policy was chosen at that time, who made that decision, and on what grounds. Reviewing such decision-making processes sheds light on the issue of governance. Consequently, this book also analyses the administration's distinctive style of governance, such as strong leadership from the Prime Minister's Office, ability to navigate party politics, and overwhelming victories in national elections.

An essential for scholars and students in the fields of public administration, public policy, Japanese studies, and Asian Studies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• List of contributors
• Acknowledgments
• Foreword
• Introduction: What made Abe’s long and stable administration possible?
• 1 Abenomics: Putting the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Japan under the Prime Minister’s control
• 2 Elections and public relations campaigns: Winning over the younger generation in a “silent revolution”
• 3 The Prime Minister’s Office in charge: The conditions that enabled strong and stable leadership
• 4 Foreign and security policy: The pursuit of strategy
• 5 Politics on TPP and CPTPP: Turning Japan into one of the world’s major free trade powers
• 6 History issues: A consistently realist approach
• 7 Governance of the ruling parties: The pervasive control of the prime minister
• 8 Skillful agenda-setting for women’s policy
• 9 Constitutional revision—Why it failed
• List of Interviewees
• List of ministers and key government officials
• List of key LDP officials
• Chronology
• Index