Japan's New Party System

 Japan is rapidly headed toward a two-party system. In addition, both the LDP and the DPJ are reforming themselves, adjusting to the new realities. Both the number and the nature of parties are changing. I examine the processes and mechanisms that are producing these changes and offer predictions about what will happen next. What will Japan’s new party system look like?

Steven R. Reed is professor of Modern Government in the Faculty of Policy Studies at Chūō University. An authority on Japanese elections, he has published extensively on Comparative Politics, Electoral Systems, Public Policy and Japanese Politics. He can be reached at Faculty of Policy Studies, Chūō University, Higashi-Nakano 742-1, Hachiōji-shi, Tokyo 192-0941.