A Crisis of Status Democracy in Japan : the Political Recruitemnt of Diet Members

Abstract

Since mid-seventies, a number of the Diet members, especialy LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) Diet members, recruited from 'political families' has gradually increased. On the 39th General Election in 1990, LDP won 288 seats in the Diet, and a nember of LDP Diet nembers who are recruited from political families is 121. Most candidates seeking for a seat in the Diet have a privately owned organization(so called 'Kouenkai')to make it to collect votes in order to get elected. Leaders of this organization and candidate oneself cooperatively from the interest community in which their interest would be expected to be maintained and increased by a politicain executing his / her political influence. Thrire desire is that the interest community is inherited by the legitimate inheritor who should be a member of political family, and they truely fear disappearing its interest community as a result of nobody inheriting its organization. This is the reason of the increasing number of Diet members from political families. This is the crisis of Status Democracy in the political field in Japan which has been one of principles in modern society.