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This book introduces a multilayered approach to the study of democracy, combining specific knowledge of Japan with theoretical insights from the literature on democratization. It examines different aspects of Japanese democracy-historical, institutional, and sociocultural-to provide a conscious understanding of the nature and practice of democracy, both in Japan and beyond. The book's chapters give testimony to the dynamic nature and continuity of Japanese democracy and analyze its strengths and weaknesses.
The central argument of this book is that Japan's democratization should be seen as a multilayered experience shaped by the gradual process of absorbing democratic ideas, forming democratic institutions, and practicing democratic behaviors and rituals at various levels of society. As the case of Japan shows, democracy is neither a structured formula nor only a set of democratic laws and institutions, but a continuous, gradual process.
List of contents
Chapter 1: "Introduction: Japan as a Multilayered Democracy," Nissim Otmazgin, Sigal Ben-Rafael Galanti, and Alon Levkowitz
Part I: Pre-war Sources of Japanese Democracy
Chapter 2: "11 February 1889: Japan's First Constitution," Lionel Babicz
Chapter 3: "Is Taish¿ Demokurash¿ the Same as Taish¿ Democracy?" Kiichi Tachibana
Chapter 4: "The making of private and public space in Meiji Japan," Kurt Radtke
Part II: Democratic Institutions and State Transformation
Chapter 5: "The Postwar Emperor in Democratized Japan," Ben-Ami Shillony
Chapter 6: "Japan's Remilitarization Debate and the Projection of Democracy," Sigal Ben-Rafael Galanti
Chapter 7: "Normalization, Democracy and the Armed Forces: the Transformation of the Japanese Military," Ben-Ari Eyal
Chapter 8: "Japan's Labor Tribunal System: A New Paradigm for Democratic Justice?," Wered Ben-Sade
Part III: Political Culture and Civil Society
Chapter 9: "Americanization and Democratization: Cultural Aspects of Japanese Democracy," Nissim Otmazgin
Chapter 10: "Democracy and Liberalism in Postwar Japan: the Legacies of the 1960s Student Uprising," Michal Daliot-Bul
Chapter 11: "Televised Democracy? How Politicians Handle Questions during Broadcast Talk Shows," Ofer Feldman
Chapter 12: "Pink Democracy: Dynamic Gender in Japan's Women's Politics," Ayala Klemperer-Markman
Chapter 13: "Is Democracy under Threat? Some Thoughts Concerning Japan and Elsewhere," J.A.A. Stockwin
About the author
Edited by Sigal Ben-Rafael Galanti; Nissim Otmazgin and Alon Levkowitz - Contributions by Lionel Babicz; Wered Ben-Sade; Michal Daliot-Bul; Eyal Ben-Ari; Ofer Feldman; Sigal Ben-Rafael Galanti; Ayala Klemperer-Markman; Alon Levkowitz; Nissim Otmazgin; Kur
Summary
This book unveils the layers of Japan's democracy, and the essays suggest a widening of disciplinary perspectives. The editors employ an assortment of disciplines-history, anthropology, sociology, political science, law, and cultural studies-to explore the complex interrelationships between history, institutions, and sociocultural practices.
