Abstract
This paper examines the policy positions of Japan' Upper House Diet members and candidates running for the 2010 election analyzing the 2010 Asahi Todai Elite Survey. An exploratory factor analysis extracts four statistically relevant dimensions that determine elite-level ideological divides: (i) conservative/liberal ideology on security and social issues, attitudes toward (ii) the 1955 political-economic system, (iii) economic neoliberalism, and (iv) policies promoted by the DPJ such as the child allowance. Based on these results, I review existing studies and draw some implications on recent inter/intra party competitions in Japanese politics.
