Political Science of Institute Reform

Changing Japanese Politics and Developing Political Science Research

Abstract

In this article, the potential of “practicable science, ” which is the new trend in Japanese politics in the 21st century, is being discussed and examined, focusing on a series of researches on Japan's political reforms.
There have been two major trends or academic tendencies in the discussions of the political reforms. One is the attitude of political researchers who express strong criticism on political practices and propose actual policies actively participating in decision making processes. The other is the trend where certain distance is kept from actual political practices but they clarify the political actors' behavior at micro level, the changes of political phenomena, and the consequences through an empirical analysis. Both trends spread rapidly during the period.
The new wave of Japanese political science research in the 21st century will bridge these two trends and respond to the proposition of “practicable science.” Policy proposals, empirical analysis, and normative discussions represented in public philosophy need to share functions and cooperate consciously while complementing each other without excluding others. It will be indispensable in establishing “practicable science, ” the new trend in Japan's political science research.