Political Corruption and Scandals in Japan - by Matthew M Carlson & Steven R Reed (Hardcover)

About the Book

Combining history with comparative politics, Matthew M. Carlson and Steven R. Reed take on political corruption and scandals, and the reforms designed to counter them, in post-World War II Japan.Political Corruption and Scandals in Japan makes sense of the scandals that have plagued Japanese politics for more than half a century and attempts to...

Book Synopsis

Combining history with comparative politics, Matthew M. Carlson and Steven R. Reed take on political corruption and scandals, and the reforms designed to counter them, in post-World War II Japan.

Political Corruption and Scandals in Japan makes sense of the scandals that have plagued Japanese politics for more than half a century and attempts to show how reforms have evolved to counter the problems. What causes political corruption to become more or less serious over time? they ask. The authors examine major political corruption scandals beginning with the early postwar period until the present day as one way to make sense of how the nature of corruption changes over time. They also consider bureaucratic corruption and scandals, violations of electoral law, sex scandals, and campaign finance regulations and scandals.

In the end, Carlson and Reed write, though Japanese politics still experiences periodic scandals, the political reforms of 1994 have significantly reduced the levels of political corruption. The basic message is that reform can reduce corruption. The causes and consequences of political corruption in Japan, they suggest, are much like those in other consolidated democracies.

Review Quotes

A must-read for scholars of Japanese politics and those who study corruption in other places and times.

-- "Perspectives on Politics"

Carlson and Reed offer a persuasive argument that structural reforms adopted in 1994 have improved Japanese politics, with greater transparency helping the media in its ability to reveal--and thereby discourage--political scandal.

-- "Choice"

The narratives give nuance to the analytical framework in dialogue with the evidence and bring forth newer types of scandals to give us a historically grounded and plausible assessment of how corruption evolved and was gradually transformed and reduced in Japan.

-- "Political Science Quarterly"

This book is a tour de force, with an ambitious scope and complex analytical objectives.

-- "Journal of Japanese Studies"

About the Author

Matthew M. Carlson is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont. He is author of Money Politics in Japan. Steven R. Reed is Professor of Policy Studies at Chuo University. He is author of many books, including Making Common Sense of Japan.