Wednesday 30 September – Friday 23 September 2011
The Transformation of the Japanese Left: From Old Socialists to New Democrats
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
The Transformation of the Japanese Left examines the transition within the Japanese party system that has seen the demise of ‘the old socialists’, the Japan Socialist Party, and in its place, the emergence of the Democratic Party of Japan as the leading opposition party. Sarah Hyde has produced an original book which looks at the intra-left (non-communist) opposition party manoeuvrings during the 1990s through to the new millennium in a highly detailed and focused manner whilst simultaneously looking at the three most significant changes for the left nationally: the change to the electoral system, the change to public opinion regarding defence and the Constitution after the First Gulf War and the changes to the Labour Union movement. It finishes with a case study of Okayama Prefecture and comprehensive analysis of how the transformation took place in one part of Japan.
About the contributors
Dr Sarah Hyde
Dr Sarah Hyde is Lecturer in the Politics and International Relations of Japan, University of Kent. Her research concerns party politics, electoral systems and opposition parties in Japan. A new project is related to the Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDPJ). Her publications include ‘The End Game of Socialism: from the JSP to the DJP’ in David Williams and Rikki Kersten (editors) ‘The Left in the Shaping of Japanese Democracy’ (Routledge, 2005).
Dr Alan Renwick
Dr Alan Renwick is Lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations, University of Reading. His work lies in the area of comparative politics and his principal current research focuses on the politics of electoral reform. His book on electoral reform in established democracies, ‘The Politics of Electoral Reform: Changing the Rules of Democracy’, will be published by Cambridge University Press in late 2009.
Professor J A A Stockwin
Professor J A A Stockwin (chair) is Emeritus Fellow of St. Antony’s College and the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, University of Oxford. His recent publications include ‘Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Japan’ (2003) and ‘Collected Writings of J.A.A. Stockwin’ (2004). In 2004, he received The Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese Government in recognition of his tireless efforts to promote Japanese Studies in the UK.