Abstract
Japan adopted a Cabinet form of government in 1885. In the intervening 100 years, different sets of criteria prevailed in selecting cabinet ministers. Initially (1885 until 1918), precedence was given to individuals who came from those fiefs ( han) whose leaders had engineered the Meiji Restoration (1868). From the end of World War I until the end of World II, having graduated from certain higher schools or universities was a crucial prerequisite. During the first half of the Occupation (1945-1948), General MacArthur's headquarters strongly influenced eligibility. Prime Minister Yoshida, during his second tenure (1948-1954), tended to select ex-senior bureaucrats. For the last quarter century, during which the Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) has governed Japan, the number of times one has been elected to the Diet (parliament) and one's factional affiliation inside the LDP have proven to be the key variables determining one's being selected to hold a ministerial appointment. There is a correlation between the strength of a faction and the number of cabinet posts its adherents obtain.
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