The Japanese prime minister and the executive institutional setting
| Author | Tomohito Shinoda |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/20578911221107189 |
| Published date | 01 March 2023 |
| Date | 01 March 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Original Research Articles |
The Japanese prime minister
and the executive institutional
setting
Tomohito Shinoda
International University of Japan, Japan
Abstract
This article explores the institutional arrangements surrounding the Japanese prime minister and
offers an analysis of the core executive style in accordance with the classifications introduced by
Dunleavy and Rhodes. The constitutional arrangement was set out to establish a ‘prime ministerial
government’in Japan. However, Japanese bureaucrats, who feared strong individual authority,
instead sought to create a ‘cabinet government’which exercises strong authority as a collective
body. In addition, two developments weakened the prime minister’s power over the cabinet,
namely the ceremonial role of cabinet meetings and strong factionalism within the ruling party,
which led to a ‘bureaucratic coordination model’. Since the 1990s, institutional reforms have
shifted the Japanese core executive towards a ‘prime ministerial government’.
Keywords
core executive, institutions, Japanese politics, leadership, prime minister
Introduction
As described in the introduction to this special issue, this and the next article by Takayasu Kensuke
examine the institutional setting surrounding the Japanese and the UK prime ministers. They
explain constitutional and other legal arrangements of the cabinet system, the supporting institu-
tions for the prime minister and the cabinet’s relations with other government institutions including
the legislative and judiciary branches, and, in the case of the UK, local governments. Political real-
ities, however, often become obstacles to prime ministerial leadership. The two articles explore the
institutional reform efforts in both countries.
As in many parliamentary democratic governments, the prime minister of Japan is the central
political figure who runs the government. The basic institutional setting is, like that of the
Corresponding author:
Tomohito Shinoda, International University of Japan, 777 Kokusaicho Minamiuonuma, Niigata 949-7277, Japan.
Email: tshinoda@iuj.ac.jp
Original Research Article
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2023, Vol. 8(1) 68–82
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/20578911221107189
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