Changes in the handling of corruption scandals in Japan since 1994

Abstract

Over the last fifty years, the Japanese political landscape has been shaken from time to time by the exposure of corruption scandals. In 1993, a multiparty coalition won government in Japan and initiated a package of reform legislation that was passed by the Diet in 1994. The system of legal controls was tightened, penalties for wrongdoing were increased, and the flow of money in politics was made more transparent. However, after more than five years of debate about reform and putting an end to money politics, corruption is still prominent in Japanese politics, and the number of corruption scandals even seems to be growing. Dr. Verena Blechinger of the German Institute for Japanese Studies analyzes how corruption scandals were handled up till 1993, and how this has changed since. She argues that the process of political reform since 1994 has brought about change in the structural framework of the Japanese political system which has caused a shift in relations between the three main political elite groups.