Thursday 22 February – Wednesday 20 April 2011
The Role of the Prime Minister in the UK and Japan
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in association with the Japan Society
Within the space of a year, both the UK and Japan will have seen new prime ministers coming to power – and this has focused attention on their roles and influence in both countries. The history of prime ministerial power in the UK and Japan has followed different paths. As the head of government in both countries, the Prime Minister plays a key role in driving policy and in running the country. The speakers will highlight the similarities and differences between the UK and Japan and, in particular, whether ‘personality’ is increasing in importance as a criterion for selection of prime ministers, both at home and abroad.
About the contributors
Professor Kevin Theakston
Professor Kevin Theakston is Professor of British Government at the University of Leeds and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He studied at the London School of Economics and at Harvard University, where he was a Kennedy Scholar. A specialist on British central government and the civil service, he has seven books to his name, the most recent being ‘British Foreign Secretaries since 1974’ (Routledge), and ‘Winston Churchill and the British Constitution’ (Politico’s). He is currently researching a new book about British prime ministers in the 20th century.
Dr Kensuke Takayasu
Dr Kensuke Takayasu is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, Seikei University in Tokyo. Dr Takayasu received his MA in Political Science from Waseda University (1996) and PhD from the London School of Economics (2003). His PhD dissertation was entitled ‘The Relationship between the Prime Minister and the Governing Party in Britain and Japan: A Comparative Analysis of Responses to the Oil Crises, 1973-1980’. In 2005, his paper Prime Ministerial Power in Japan: A Re-examination was published in Japan Forum (Vol.17, No.2).
Peter Kellner
Peter Kellner (chair) is Chairman of the YouGov opinion polling organisation. He received an MA in Economics and Statistics from Cambridge University. During the past 30 years, he has been a columnist on a variety of newspapers and magazines, including The Times, Sunday Times, Independent, Observer, Evening Standard and New Statesman. He has also been a regular contributor to Newsnight (BBC2), A Week in Politics (Channel Four), Powerhouse (Channel Four), Analysis (Radio Four) and election night results programmes on television and radio. He has written, or contributed to, a variety of books and leaflets about politics, elections and public affairs.