An Analysis of the Formation, Growth and Decline of Factions Within the LDP: A Perspective on the Electoral System for the LDP President
Author: Ming-shan Wu
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
In the fifty-four years before it lost power for a second time in 2009, the LDPpresident normally also served as prime minister and dominated Japanese politics,regardless of whether the LDP was in power alone or as part of a coalitiongovernment. The only exceptions were the cabinets of Morihiro, Tsutomu andTomiichi (a total period of two years and three months). Since the LDP dominatedthe machinery of government, the president had control over both governmentresources as well as the party. LDP factions were formed with the purpose ofwinning the position of president. LDP politics was defined by conflict andcooperation between different factions as each group sought to maximize its ownadvantages.
In previous research, the LDP presidential election, as a dependent variable, ishighly connected with conflict and cooperation between factions. However, thisarticle argues that factional politics is not a variable which explains the LDPpresidential election, but rather is a product of the current electoral system. It alsoargues that the rise and fall of factions has a strong relationship with the outcome ofpresidential elections.
From observation of three important phrases of the LDP presidentialelection—the first presidential election, the adoption of presidential primaryelection and the presidential elections after the 87th session—this article analyzesthe formation, growth and decline of factions within the LDP, and tries to provide anew perspective on factional politics within the party.