Populism “made in Japan”: A new species?
| DOI | 10.1177/2057891119844608 |
| Published date | 01 September 2020 |
| Author | Toru Yoshida |
| Date | 01 September 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Research articles |
Research article
Populism “made in Japan”:
A new species?
Toru Yoshida
Hokkaido University, Japan
Abstract
Despite rapidly growing literature on populism in advanced democracies, Japan is often over-
looked. However, Japan has certainly not been immune to populist phenomena. In fact, populist
politics in Japan can be divided into two categories: the first was in the 2000s, when Prime Minister
Koizumi implemented vast reforms, and the second has proponents among the governors and
mayors of big cities, such as Yasuo Tanaka, Toru Hashimoto, and Koike Yuriko. They have prin-
cipally promoted neoliberal reforms, such as market deregulation, overhauling administrative
systems, and limiting trade union autonomy. The economic interventionism and political author-
itarianism characterizing recent populism in the West are not found in Japan, which explains why
the literature has neglected Japanese cases of populism. Focusing mainly on the second type of
populism, this article argues analytically that populism in Japan must be understood as a political
strategy employed by the local executives. By examining cases of populist Japanese governors and
mayors, we observe that populist politics are fueled at the local level by the institutional settings
and electoral systems in regional politics. Aiming to contribute to the literature on varieties of
populism, the article emphasizes theoretically that institutional mechanisms tend to foster populist
politicians in Japan.
Keywords
Japanese politics, local politics, party politics, populism
Not only the phenomenon but also the concept of populism has attracted much attention in recent
years as a worrying political trend. Jan-Werner Mu
¨ller even wrote of the “Age of Populism”
(Mu
¨ller, 2016: 2). Political scientists concur that “without doubt, both populism and democracy
are today widespread in different parts of the world” (Mudde and Kaltwasser, 2012: 205).
Consequently, the literature on populism has been growing rapidly. We have witnessed many
varying concepts and definitions of populism, and explanations for their rise in democratic
Corresponding author:
Toru Yoshida, Hokkaido University, Kita 9, Nishi 7, Kitaku, Sapporo, Japan.
Email: yoshidat@juris.hokudai.ac.jp
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2020, Vol. 5(3) 288–299
ªThe Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/2057891119844608
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