Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T22:20:36.110Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Rise of Consumer–Oriented Politics in Japan? Exploring the Party–Citizen Relationship through Discourse Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2014

EMI SAUZIER-UCHIDA
EMI SAUZIER-UCHIDA*
Affiliation:
School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article analyses the discourse of three prime ministers – Koizumi, Aso, and Hatoyama – to explore how each leader identified the political self and constructed and promoted a particular relationship with the voter before the general elections. The outcome indicates the emergence of a new political communication style based on a party–citizen relationship as business–consumer. Whereas Aso's patron–client discourse pinpoints the role of the responsible and bureaucratic state in protecting Japan, the business–consumer discourse of both Koizumi and Hatoyama demonstrates the entrepreneurial leaders’ willingness to listen to individuals in order to meet their needs and expectations. We speculate that the social norms and values of the business–consumer model might have played a role in attracting a large number of unorganized voters to Koizumi in 2005 and in turn to Hatoyama in 2009.

Type
Research Article
Information
Japanese Journal of Political Science , Volume 15 , Issue 2: Quality of Life and Environmentalism in ASEAN , June 2014 , pp. 231 - 257
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abercrombie, N. and Keat, R. (eds.) (1990), Enterprise Culture, Abingdon: Routledge.Google Scholar
Asahi Shimbun (2010), ‘Shohisha sodan kyoka e (Toward the Reinforcement of Consultancy with Consumers)’, Asahi Shimbun, 18 May.Google Scholar
Azuma, S. (2000), ‘Linguistic Strategy of Involvement: An Emergence of New Political Speech in Japan’, in Landtsheer, C. D. and Feldman, O. (eds.), Beyond Public Speech and Symbols: Explorations in the Rhetoric of Politicians and the Media, Westport, CT: Praeger, pp. 69–85.Google Scholar
Azuma, S. (2006), Rekidai Shusho no Gengoryoku wo Shindan Suru (Judging the Communication Skills of Prime Ministers), Tokyo: Kenkyusha.Google Scholar
Azuma, S. (2007), Gengo Gakusha ga Seijika wo Maruhadaka ni Suru (Why does his speech attract voters?), Tokyo: Bungei Shunshu.Google Scholar
Barry, H. III (1998), ‘Function of Recent US Presidential Slogans’, in Landtsheer, C. D. and Feldman, O. (eds.), Beyond Public Speech and Symbols: Explorations in the Rhetoric of Politicians and the Media, Westport, CT: Praeger, pp. 161–9.Google Scholar
Cheng, M. (2006), ‘Constructing a New Political Spectacle: Tactics of Chen Shui-bian's 2000 and 2004 Inaugural Speeches’, Discourse and Society, 17: 583–608.Google Scholar
De Beaugrande, R. (1997), New Foundations for a Science of Text and Discourse, Norwood, N.J: Ablex.Google Scholar
Fairclough, N. (1992), Discourse and Social Change, Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Fairclough, N. (2000), New Labour, New Language? London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Feldman, O. (2004), Talking Politics in Japan Today, Brighton: Sussex Academic Press.Google Scholar
Foucault, M. (1991), ‘Governmentality’, translated by Braidotti, R., in Burchell, G., Gordon, C., and Miller, P. (eds.), The Foucault Effect: Studies in Governmentality, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, pp. 87–104.Google Scholar
George Mulgan, A. (2002), Japan's Failed Revolution: Koizumi and the Politics of Economic Reform, Canberra: Asia Pacific Press.Google Scholar
Hirano, H. (2007), Henyo Suru Nihon no Shakai to Tohyo Kodo (Changes in the Voting Behaviour of Japanese Society), Tokyo: Bokutakusha.Google Scholar
Iio, J. (2007), Nihon no Touchi Kouzou (The Structure of Japanese Governance), Tokyo: Chuko Shinsho.Google Scholar
Inada, Y. (2009), ‘Kokumin no minasama ni shinsen na kandou’ (A Refreshing Impression to kokumin no minasama), Asahi Shimbun, 20 September.Google Scholar
Inoguchi, T. (2009), ‘The Personalization of Politics: Koizumi and Japanese Politics’, in Blondel, J., Thiébault, J., Czernicka, K., Inoguchi, T., Pathmanand, U., and Venturino, F. (eds.), Political Leadership, Parties and Citizens: The Personalisation of Politics, Abington: Routledge, pp. 209–28.Google Scholar
Ishii, Y. (1993), ‘Saiko seiji no kotoba’ (Rethinking Political Language), Asahi Shimbun, 30 July.Google Scholar
Johansson, M. (2008), ‘Presentation of the Political Self: Commitment in Electoral Media Dialogue’, Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 27 (4): 397–408.Google Scholar
Kabashima, I. and Steel, G. (2007), ‘How Junichiro Koizumi Seized the Leadership of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party’, Japanese Journal of Political Science, 8 (1): 95–114.Google Scholar
Krauss, E. S. and Nyblade, B. (2005), ‘“Presidentialization” in Japan? The Prime Minister, Media and Elections in Japan’, British Journal of Political Science, 35 (2): 357–68.Google Scholar
Krauss, E. S. and Pekkanen, R. (2004), ‘Explaining Party Adaption to Electoral Reform: The Discreet Charm of the LDP?’, Journal of Japanese Studies, 30 (1): 1–34.Google Scholar
Krippendorff, K. (2012), Content Analysis: An introduction to Its Methodology, 3rd edn, London: Sage.Google Scholar
Lees-Marshment, J. (2004), The Political Marketing Revolution, Manchester: Manchester University Press.Google Scholar
Lilleker, D. G. (2006), Key Concepts in Political Communication, London: Sage.Google Scholar
Lilleker, D. G., Jackson, N. A., and Scullion, R. (eds.) (2006), The Marketing of Political Parties: Political Marketing at the 2005 British General Election, Manchester: Manchester University Press.Google Scholar
Maynard, S. K. (1994), ‘Images of Involvement and Integrity: Rhetorical Style of a Japanese Politician’, Discourse and Society, 5: 233–61.Google Scholar
Miyake, I. (1998), Seito Shiji no Kozo (The Structure of Political Party Support), Tokyo: Bokutakusha.Google Scholar
Mochizuki, M. (1982), ‘Managing and Influencing the Japanese Legislative Process: The Role of Parties and the National Diet’, Ph.D. thesis, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.Google Scholar
Needham, C. (2003), Citizen-Consumers: New Labour's Marketplace Democracy, London: Catalyst.Google Scholar
Nonaka, N. (2008), Jimintou Seiji no Owari (The End of the LDP Politics), Tokyo: Chikuma Shoten.Google Scholar
Otake, H. (2003), Nihongata Populism (Japan's Populism), Tokyo: Chuko Shinsho.Google Scholar
Phillips, N. and Hardy, C. (2002), Discourse Analysis: Investigating Processes of Social Construction, London: Sage.Google Scholar
Popping, R. (2000), Computer-Assisted Text Analysis, London: Sage.Google Scholar
Reinem, M. (2005), ‘Japanese Political Thought as Seen from Prime Minister's Speech: Koizumi's Singularity’, Kokyo Seisaku Kenkyu, 5: 179–98.Google Scholar
Reinem, M. (2007), ‘Content Analysis of Japanese Prime Ministers’ Policy Speeches: The Political Thought of Murayama and Koizumi’, Ronsou Gendai Bunka/Kokyo Seisaku (Journal of Modern Cultures and Public Policies), 5: 165–201.Google Scholar
Rosenbluth, F. M. and Thies, M. F. (2010), Japan Transformed: Political Change and Economic Structuring, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Schegloff, E. A. (1997), ‘Whose Text? Whose Context?’, Discourse and Society, 8: 165–87.Google Scholar
Scheiner, E. (2006), Democracy without Competition: Opposition Failure in a One-Party Dominant State, New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Seko, H. (2006), Jiminto Kaizo Purojekuto 650 Nichi (The 650-Day LDP Rebuilding Project), Tokyo: Shinchou sha.Google Scholar
Steger, M. B. and Roy, R. (2010), Neoliberalism: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Suzuki, T. (2009), ‘Extracting Speaker-Specific Functional Expressions from Political Speeches Using Random Forests in order to Investigate Speakers’ Political Styles’, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 60 (8): 1596–606.Google Scholar
Suzuki, T. and Kageura, K. (2011), ‘Meishi no bunpu tokuchoryo wo mochiita seiji tekusuto bunseki’ (Political Text Analysis Using Distributional Characteristics of Nouns), Kodo Keiryogaku, 38 (1): 83–92.Google Scholar
Takase, J. (2005), Buki to Shiteno ‘Kotoba Seiji’ (Language Politics as a Weapon), Tokyo: Kodansha.Google Scholar
Tanaka, A. (2009), ‘Jiminto suitai no kozo: tokuhyou kozo to seisaku tairitsujiku no henka’ (Structural Failures Behind the Demise of the LDP: Changes in Structure of Voting Behaviour and Policy Dimensions), in Tanaka, A., Kohno, M., Hino, A., Iida, T., and the Yomiuri Shimbun Public Opinion Survey Department, 2009 Nen, Naze Seiken Kotai Datta Noka (Why Was There a Change of Government in 2009?), Tokyo: Keiso Shobo, pp. 1–26.Google Scholar
Tanaka, A. (2012), Mutohaso no Koremade to Genzai (The Past and the Present of Independent Voters), retrieved 30 July 2013 from http://www.nippon.com/ja/in-depth/a01104/Google Scholar
Uchiyama, Y. (2007), Koizumi Seiken: Patosu no Shusho wa Nani wo Kaetanoka (Koizumi and Japanese Politics), Tokyo: Chuko Shinsho.Google Scholar
Uesugi, T. (2006), Koizumi no Shori, Media no Haiboku (Victory for Koizumi, Defeat for the Media), Tokyo: Shoshisha.Google Scholar
Vogel, S. T. (2006), Japan Remodeled: How Government and Industry Are Reforming Japanese Capitalism, Ithaca: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Weisberg, H. F. and Tanaka, A. (2001), ‘Change in the Spatial Dimensions of Party Conflict: The Case of Japan in the 1990s’, Political Behavior, 23 (1): 75–101.Google Scholar