Politics and Government of Modern Japan POL-UA , Spring 2018 Wed 9.30am-12pm Room: 12WV L113

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1 Politics and Government of Modern Japan POL-UA , Spring 2018 Wed 9.30am-12pm Room: 12WV L113 This course is an introduction to the politics and government of contemporary Japan. It explores how politicians have fought election campaigns, elected leaders, made policy, and governed in interaction with career bureaucrats, interest groups, the media and voters from 1955 until today. Special attention is paid to the effects of institutional reforms on Japan s political system and to current policy challenges such as the rise of China and constitutional revision. The course centers upon student discussion and debate of the readings assigned in each week, and includes the showing of the documentary film Pictures at an Election as well as clips from Campaign. No prior knowledge of Japan, Japanese politics, or the Japanese language is required. One of the course s main goals is to provide you with an opportunity to develop and write a research paper of your own. To this end, most of the assessment in the course is writing-based. We are very fortunate to be able to work with NYU s Undergraduate Writing Tutors Program for the duration of the course. Information about the program and what it entails from you is below. Instructor: Professor Amy Catalinac amy.catalinac@nyu.edu Office: 19 West 4th St, Office 315. Office Hours: Tues 2-4pm. Undergraduate Writing Tutors Program: Writing tutors are well-trained peers who provide feedback on drafts of writing assignments. Their role is to encourage and challenge students to strengthen their writing and clarify their ideas. They are trained to support the aims of the class, learn about the expectations for writing in the class, and listen and respond carefully to student-writers. While writing tutors are not TAs and will not evaluate papers, they will provide feedback designed to generate clearer writing and stronger thinking about the content. Writing tutors also look for patterns of grammatical error in student papers, explaining how students can learn to correct these errors. The tutors main goals are to help students develop their writing and thinking in response to particular assignments and become better writers over the long term. Writing tutors take a semester-long practicum to learn to think more deeply about writing and to develop practices for working with peers on writing during individualized conferences. Tutors audit several classes or recitations and read some course materials in the classes they tutor. Their primary aim is, however, to work with students through a practice-based approach to writing and revising. That is, they will ask questions and work to prompt students to reread, rethink, revise, and craft new writing during conferences. 1

2 Participation in the program is mandatory for the second and third writing assignments, in a way that is explained below. The program consists of: 1. On-time submission of complete drafts of your papers (not outlines or rough notes) to your designated writing tutor 2. Attending a scheduled, 30-minute, one-on-one conference with your writing tutor for each of these two assignments. Submission of late and/or incomplete drafts to tutors, or missing your scheduled conference with your tutor, will result in a reduction of your grade for that assignment. Noelle Mole Liston, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer in NYU s Expository Writing Program (nm76@nyu.edu) will be actively engaged in the integration of the Writing Tutors Program into our course. In addition, you will be working with two highly qualified writing tutors: Bhavini Kahani ( bsk322@nyu.edu) Virginia Zhang ( vz356@nyu.edu) Course Requirements: 1. Participation (15%) This course depends on your participation. You are expected to read the assigned material each week and come to class prepared to discuss it. When reading an article, focus on the research question tackled, the answer offered, and the evidence the author presents for that answer. Also consider whether alternative answers to the question were considered. The study questions in each session are not exhaustive, but are meant to guide your reading of the material for that week. 2. Writing Assignment 1 (15%) On February 12, you are expected to hand in an essay of between 2-3 pages, double spaced. It should be submitted through NYU Classes and should include your last name in the file name. It should answer the following question: Scholars have offered various explanations for why the LDP was dominant. Which of these do you find most convincing, and why? 3. Writing Assignment 2 (20%) On March 2, you are expected to submit a draft essay of between 4-5 pages, double spaced, to your designated undergraduate writing tutor. This should be submitted through NYU Classes and should include your last name in the file name. The following week, you are expected to meet with your designated undergraduate writing tutor, who will provide you with feedback on this paper. You are then expected to revise the paper and submit it to me, again through NYU Classes, by March 12. Your essay will answer the following question: 2

3 SNTV is a fine political system. Among other things, it has contributed to stability in postwar Japan. Do you agree? Discuss with reference to what we have read and learned in the course thus far. 4. Final Research Paper (50%) The sessions each week focus on how politics and government works (and does not work) in contemporary Japan. For the research paper, your task is to apply what we have learned in the course to a particular policy area. Your task is to select a policy area, identify a change in that policy area, and construct an argument, using evidence, as to what brought about that change. In constructing your answer, you may find that a concept we have studied, such as the rising importance of the Prime Minister or the declining incentives for interest groups to mobilize votes on behalf of politicians, can explain this change in policy. If so, make the case for why, using as much evidence as you can. If you find that the concepts we have studied are not useful in explaining this change and something else is, such as a demographic change, that is perfectly acceptable. You will be judged on your ability to identify a change in policy and construct an argument that explains this change, not on the degree to which you have bought the arguments of the scholars we have studied. You are also expected to consider other potential explanations for that change and use evidence to show that those explanations are incorrect. To help you with this, you are expected to submit a 2-page paper proposal to me on March 30. The first page of this proposal will outline the research question you plan to tackle in your paper and your (tentative) answer to this question. The second page will be an annotated bibliography, and will list sources that you plan to consult in the writing of your paper. While your annotated bibliography may include references to primary material, such as newspaper articles or government documents, the bulk of the references listed should be articles relevant to your topic in academic journals or books published by university presses. This proposal and the annotated bibliography is worth 10% of your final grade. After this, you will complete a full draft of your final research paper by April 27. This draft should be approximately 15 double-spaced pages, and should include references to academic journal articles and books pertaining to your subject area, as well as some primary sources, such as newspaper articles or policy statements. Please consult NYU s Citation Style Guide for information about referencing. Either citation style is fine, as long as you are consistent. This will be submitted through NYU Classes and will be read by the undergraduate writing tutor. Based on feedback provided by your tutor, you will then revise your draft and submit the final version to NYU Classes by May 7. Please do not ask for any extensions on this final paper. It is important that everyone operate within the same constraints. 3

4 Grade Breakdown: Participation % Writing Assignment % Writing Assignment II % Final Paper Proposal and Annotated Bibliography % Final Research Paper % Required Texts: There are no required textbooks for this course. Assigned Readings: The assigned readings for each week are available through the course website. Supplementary material for each session is also noted. This is only for your reference and is not required. There may be minor adjustments to the assigned readings as the course progresses, which will be communicated well in advance. Policy on Collaboration: You are encouraged to discuss with one another your approach to the presentations, final paper, and other course requirements, but you must ensure that any material submitted to meet the requirements of the course (including your presentation slides; research prospectus; research presentation; and final research paper) is your own work. Accommodation for Students with Disabilities: Students needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a documented disability should speak with the professor as soon as possible (and preferably by the end of the second week of the semester). Failure to do so may result in the instructor s inability to respond in a timely manner. Important Dates: Writing Assignment 1 Due Monday, February 12 Draft of Writing Assignment II Due Friday, March 2 Writing Assignment II Due Monday, March 12 Paper Proposal and Annotated Bibliography Due.. Friday, March 30 Draft of Final Research Paper Due Friday, April 27 Final Research Paper Due Monday, May 7 COURSE OUTLINE Jan 24: Introduction This is an introduction to the course and its goals. There are no required readings. We will begin watching the documentary film, Pictures at an Election. Think about the ways in which election campaigns in Japan differ from the U.S. or other countries with which you are familiar. 4

5 For Reference: Steven R. Reed. Making Common Sense of Japan. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, Chapters 1 and 2. Bradley M. Richardson and Dennis Patterson. Political Traditions and Political Change: The Significance of Postwar Japanese Politics for Political Science. Annual Review of Political Science, pages , Jan 31: Election Campaigns Under SNTV How did Japan s old electoral system work? What are koenkai and why were they so important? How did candidates from the LDP cultivate their koenkai? What role did candidate s hometowns play? How does the style of campaigning in Japan in this period differ from that of the U.S. and other countries? Mark Ramseyer and Frances Rosenbluth. Japan s Political Marketplace. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Chapter 2. H. Fukui and S. N. Fukai. Campaigning for the Japanese Diet. In B. Grofman, S. C. Lee, E. A. Winckler, and B. Woodall, editors, Elections in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan under the Single Non-Transferable Vote, pages Michigan University Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jean-Marie Bouissou. Organizing One s Support Base under SNTV: The Case of the Japanese Koenkai. In et al. Bernard Grofman, editor, Elections in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan under the Single Non-Transferable Vote, pages Michigan University Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Shigeo Hirano. Electoral Institutions, Hometowns, and Favored Minorities: Evidence from Japanese Electoral Reforms. World Politics, 58:51 82, October Feb 7: Party System Under SNTV What problems did the electoral system pose for parties trying to capture a majority of seats? What are some of the explanations for the dominance of the LDP in this period, and which do you find most convincing? Gary W. Cox and Emerson Niou. Seat Bonuses under the Single Nontransferable Vote System: Evidence from Japan and Taiwan. Comparative Politics, 26(2): , Ethan Scheiner. Pipelines of Pork: A Model of Local Opposition Party Failure. Comparative Political Studies, 38: ,

6 Kenneth McElwain. Manipulating Electoral Rules to Manufacture Single-Party Dominance. American Journal of Political Science, 52(1):32 47, Ko Maeda. An Irrational Party of Rational Members: The Collision of Legislators Reelection Quest with Party Success in the Japan Socialist Party. Comparative Political Studies, 45(3): , Writing Assignment 1 Due February 12 via NYU Classes Feb 14: Pathologies of SNTV: Factions, Corruption, and Fraud Why are there factions in Japanese politics? Does it pay to be a dirty politician in Japan, and if so, why? How was corruption connected to the electoral system? What other institutions facilitate corruption in Japan? Jacob M. Schlesinger. Shadow Shoguns. The Rise and Fall of Japan s Postwar Political Machine. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA., pages 36-45; 69-75; 82-90; Ellis S. Krauss and Robert J. Pekkanen. The Rise and Fall of Japan s LDP. Political Party Organizations as Historical Institutions. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, chapter 4. Benjamin Nyblade and Steven R. Reed. Who Cheats? Who Loots? Political Competition and Corruption in Japan, American Journal of Political Science, 52(4):926 41, Kentaro Fukumoto and Yusaku Horiuchi. Making Outsiders Votes Count: Detecting Electoral Fraud through a Natural Experiment. American Political Science Review, 105(3): , Feb 21: Policymaking Under SNTV In a typical parliamentary system, who holds power over policy? Is Japan a typical parliamentary system? What does it mean to say that Japan had a bottom-up policymaking system in this period? How were Prime Ministers chosen, and why did they change so often? Mark Ramseyer and Frances Rosenbluth. Japan s Political Marketplace. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Chapter 6. Aurelia George Mulgan. Japan s Political Leadership Deficit. Australian Journal of Political Science, 35(2): ,

7 Ellis S. Krauss and Robert J. Pekkanen. The Rise and Fall of Japan s LDP. Political Party Organizations as Historical Institutions. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, Chapter 6. J. Mark Ramseyer and Eric B. Rasmusen. Outcaste Politics and Organized Crime in Japan: The Effect of Terminating Ethnic Subsidies. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 15(1): , Feb 28: Interest Representation and Media Under SNTV Whose interests tended to gain representation under this system, and whose interests were excluded? Did the Japanese media help to cover the gap and representing those interests? What role did the media play in politics? Yusaku Horiuchi and Jun Saito. Cultivating Rice and Votes: The Institutional Origins of Agricultural Protectionism in Japan. Journal of East Asian Studies, 10: , Patricia L. MacLachlan. Post Office Politics in Modern Japan: The Postmasters, Iron Triangles, and the Limits ofreform. Journal of Japanese Studies, 30(2): , Tiana Norgren. Abortion before Birth Control: The Interest Group Politics Behind Postwar Japanese Reproduction Policy. Journal of Japanese Studies, 24(1):59 94, Ellis S. Krauss. Portraying the State: NHK Television News and Politics. In Susan J. Pharr and Ellis Krauss, editors, Media and Politics in Japan, pages University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Draft of Writing Assignment II Due March 2 via NYU Classes Mar 7: Japan s 1994 Electoral Reform Why do politicians rarely reform the electoral systems under which they were elected? What were the factors that crystallized to produce electoral reform in Japan in 1994? What did the reformers seek to change about Japan s political system? Why didn t the reformers adopt a purely majoritarian or purely proportional electoral system? Gerald Curtis. The Logic of Japanese Politics: Leaders, Institutions, and the Limits of Political Change. Columbia University Press, New York, Chapter 2. 7

8 Steven R. Reed and Michael Thies. The Causes of Electoral Reform in Japan. In Matthew S. Shugart and Martin P. Wattenberg, editors, Mixed Member Electoral Systems: The Best of Both Worlds?, pages Oxford University Press, New York, Hideo Otake. Forces for Political Reform: The Liberal Democratic Party s Young Reformers and Ozawa Ichiro. Journal of Japanese Studies, 22(2): , Kristin Kyoko Altman. Television and Political Turmoil: Japan s Summer of In Susan J. Pharr and Ellis Krauss, editors, Media and Politics in Japan, pages University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Final Version of Writing Assignment II Due March 12 via NYU Classes Mar 21: How much has changed about election campaigns? How was Japan s 1994 electoral reform supposed to influence how politicians campaigned? Were these effects observed? If politicians can rely on their parties under the new system, then why do they still cultivate koenkai? What should politicians do between elections to increase their chances of being re-elected under the new system? Ellis S. Krauss and Robert J. Pekkanen. The Rise and Fall of Japan s LDP. Political Party Organizations as Historical Institutions. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, Chapter 3. Ray Christensen and Joel Sawat Selway. Pork-Barrel Politics and Electoral Reform: Explaining the Curious Differences in the Experiences of Thailand and Japan. The Journal of Asian Studies, 76(2):283310, Amy Catalinac. From Pork to Policy: The Rise of Programmatic Campaigning in Japanese Elections. Journal of Politics, 78(1):published online September 18, Amy Catalinac. Positioning Under Alternative Electoral Systems: Evidence From Japanese Candidate Election Manifestos. American Political Science Review, forthcoming, Mar 28: How much has changed about policymaking? What effects did Japan s 1994 electoral reform have on the policymaking process, and the role of the Prime Minister? What about the legal system? How does the LDP choose its leaders now, and what impact does this have on the types of leaders who are selected? Could a Koizumi-type leader have emerged under the old system? 8

9 Ikuo Kabashima and Gill Steel. How Junichiro Koizumi seized the leadership of Japans Liberal Democratic Party. Japanese Journal of Political Science, 8(1):95 114, Naofumi Fujimura. The Power Relationship between the Prime Minister and Ruling Party Legislators: The Postal Service Privatization Act of 2005 in Japan. Japanese Journal of Political Science, 8(2): , Hironori Sasada. The electoral origin of Japan s nationalistic leadership: primaries in the LDP presidential election and the pull effect. Journal of East Asian Studies, 10:1 30, J. Mark Ramseyer and Eric B. Rasmusen. The Case for Managed Judges: Learning from Japan after the Political Upheaval of University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 154: , Proposal and Annotated Bibliography Due March 30 via NYU Classes Apr 4: How much has changed about the types of policies that are made? How was Japan s 1994 electoral reform supposed to influence the types of policies that are made? Has it had these effects? Are you convinced that changes in policy areas as diverse as corporate governance, welfare, national security, and construction can be traced to electoral reform? If not, why not? Frances Rosenbluth and Michael Thies. Japan Transformed. Political Change and Economic Restructuring. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J., chapter 7. Margarita Estevez-Abe. Welfare and Capitalism in Postwar Japan. Cambridge University Press, New York, Chapter 9. Gregory W. Noble. The Decline of Particularism in Japanese Politics. Journal of East Asian Studies, 10: , Amy Catalinac. Electoral Reform and National Security in Japan: From Pork to Foreign Policy. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, chapters 1 and 7. Apr 11: The DPJ and its Failed Crusade What were the events that led up to the DPJ s victory in 2009? Why did it take 15 years after electoral reform for an alternation in power to occur? What was responsible for the DPJ s success in 2009 savvy party leaders, swing voters, the economic crisis, or the LDP s own failures? What did the DPJ s response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster reveal about the party? 9

10 Kenji E. Kushida and Phillip Y. Lipscy. The Rise and Fall of the Democratic Party of Japan. In Kenji E. Kushida and Phillip Y. Lipscy, editors, Japan Under the DPJ. The Politics of Transition and Governance, pages Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford, CA, Linda Hasunuma. Decentralization and the Democratic Party of Japan. In Kenji E. Kushida and Phillip Y. Lipscy, editors, Japan Under the DPJ. The Politics of Transition and Governance, pages Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford, CA, Yue Yin. Politics On-screen: Has NHK News Become Politician-Centered? Social Science Japan Journal, 20(2): , Kenji E. Kushida. The DPJ s Political Response to the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. In Kenji E. Kushida and Phillip Y. Lipscy, editors, Japan Under the DPJ. The Politics of Transition and Governance, pages Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford, CA, Apr 18: Japan s Relations with the World What is the Yoshida Doctrine? What are the origins of Japan s anti-militaristic culture? How did this culture co-exist with a security treaty with the United States? How can we characterize Japan s relations with neighboring North Korea, South Korea, and China? Why have historical issues emerged again in recent years? Yasuhiro Izumikawa. Explaining Japanese Antimilitarism: Normative and Realist Constraints on Japan s Security Policy. International Security, 35(2): , Fall Linus Hagstrom and Ulv Hanssen. The North Korean abduction issue. The Pacific Review, 28(1):71 93, Gavan McCormack. Much Ado over Small Islands: The Sino-Japanese Confrontation over Senkaku/Diaoyu. Japan Focus, 11(21):1 20, Jennifer Lind. Apologies in International Politics. Security Studies, 18(3): , Apr 25: Constitutional Revision Why do some conservative politicians want to revise Japan s Constitution? Should Japan become a normal nation? What are the advantages and disadvantages of constitutional revision? Is this likely to happen under the current leader, Prime Minister Abe? Kenneth Mori McElwain and Christian G. Winkler. What s Unique About the Japanese Constitution? A Comparative and Historical Analysis. Journal of Japanese Studies, 41(2): ,

11 Christopher W. Hughes. Japans Strategic Trajectory and Collective Self-Defense: Essential Continuity or Radical Shift? Journal of Japanese Studies, 43(1):93 126, Michael Green and Jeffrey Hornung. Ten Myths About Japan s Collective Self-Defense Change. The Diplomat, pages 1 3, July 10. Lawrence Repeta. Japan s Democracy at Risk. The LDP s Ten Most Dangerous Proposals for Constitutional Change. The Asia-Pacific Journal, 11(28):1 13, Draft of Final Research Paper Due April 27 via NYU Classes Final Research Paper Due May 7 via NYU Classes 11