The Cartel Party Thesis by Mair and Katz- an Analysis of the Theoretical Concept with Reference to Comparative Case Studies of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party

Abstract

The parliamentary democracy of Japan is highly experienced in ruling under a continuous political party compared with other democracies of Europe or Asia. It may be presumed that the political, economic, and social systems that Japan has developed since the 1868 Meiji Restoration are more akin to Western Europe than to Japan's Asian neighbors. Also calling it a one-party state, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP or Jūminshyutō) has held the leading executive role in the country's policy for over more than five decades. This paper examines political cartels in recent Japanese politics under the Cartel Party Thesis by Mair and Katz (1995). Following research question are going to be specifically worked on: Does Japan’s most powerful political party LDP show any evidence that is stated in the ‘Cartel Party Thesis’ by Mair and Katz? If the results are divergent to the theory’s statement, then to what extent does Japan sets a paradigm for its own kind of cartelized politics?