Japan's national government, and most of its local governments, have been in conservative hands for more than three decades. Recently, however, the strength of

This book explains why no opposition party has been able to offer itself as a sustained challenger in Japan.

This book is about why and how central and local governments clash over important national policy decisions. Its empirical focus is on the local politics of Jap

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) came to power in 2009 with a commanding majority, ending fifty years of almost uninterrupted Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

Japan's national government, and most of its local governments, have been in conservative hands for more than three decades. Recently, however, the strength of