The Evolution of Japan’s Party System: Politics and Policy in an Era of Institutional Change

In August 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) won a crushing victory over the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), thus bringing to an end over fifty years of one-party dominance. Around the world, the victory of the DPJ was seen as a radical break with Japan’s past. However, this dramatic political shift was not as sudden as it appeared, but rather the culmination of a series of changes first set in motion in the early 1990s.

provides a unique look at party politics in Japan, bringing them into a comparative conversation that usually focuses on Europe and North America.