TY - JOUR
T1 - A Regional Party in a Centralized Country
T2 - The Case of One Osaka in Japan
AU - Jou, Willy
N1 - Funding Information:
I would like to thank Régis Dandoy, Shoichiro Ishibashi, Robert Pekkanen and the anonymous reviewers of this journal for comments on earlier versions of this article. Funding for part of this study was provided by the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study (WIAS) Overseas Short-term Stay Support. All errors are the author’s sole responsibility.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2015/3/15
Y1 - 2015/3/15
N2 - Abstract: Among the regional parties that have emerged in Japan against a background of prevalent voter disillusionment with national politics, by far the most prominent and successful example is One Osaka (Osaka Ishin no kai), which won both the 2011 gubernatorial and mayoral elections (‘double elections’) in Osaka against rivals backed by both major national parties before expanding into a national party. The present study attempts to place this party in a comparative context and analyses a voter survey to test the extent to which party support is attributable to political alienation, local factors, policy stances and favourable views of candidates. Results show that backing for One Osaka was based less on issue preferences or general disaffection with national politics, but instead motivated primarily by positive attitudes towards its candidates, particularly the party leader. The article also traces the party's expansion into national politics, compares its leadership with regional parties in other countries and discusses its future prospects.
AB - Abstract: Among the regional parties that have emerged in Japan against a background of prevalent voter disillusionment with national politics, by far the most prominent and successful example is One Osaka (Osaka Ishin no kai), which won both the 2011 gubernatorial and mayoral elections (‘double elections’) in Osaka against rivals backed by both major national parties before expanding into a national party. The present study attempts to place this party in a comparative context and analyses a voter survey to test the extent to which party support is attributable to political alienation, local factors, policy stances and favourable views of candidates. Results show that backing for One Osaka was based less on issue preferences or general disaffection with national politics, but instead motivated primarily by positive attitudes towards its candidates, particularly the party leader. The article also traces the party's expansion into national politics, compares its leadership with regional parties in other countries and discusses its future prospects.
KW - Japan
KW - Regional parties
KW - elections
KW - public opinion
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84933180896&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84933180896&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13597566.2014.1002834
DO - 10.1080/13597566.2014.1002834
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84933180896
SN - 1359-7566
VL - 25
SP - 145
EP - 163
JO - Regional and Federal Studies
JF - Regional and Federal Studies
IS - 2
ER -