Ken Victor Leonard Hijino
Biographic Data
| ID | 1534758 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ken Victor Leonard Hijino |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ken Victor Leonard |
| FAMILY NAME | Hijino |
| SIGNATURE | HIJINO K V L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Kyoto University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0574-4036 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 19 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Mainstream and deviating ideologies in Japanese gubernatorial elections
The ideological conflicts of Japan's subnational politics have tended to be interpreted as either being largely muted or contained within national dimensions. Following two decades of substantial decentralization and growing local autonomy, however, a diversity of new ideological responses to local issues have appeared. These include neo-liberal parties and executives in wealthier regions such as Tokyo and Osaka or a rising regionalist identity p…
National and local political discourses of rural in-migration in Japan
The politics of depopulation in Japanese municipalities
Recent research has tried to understand Japan’s depopulating countryside and regions through the comparative theory of “peripheralization”. Though these studies argue that a critical determinant of peripheralization in depopulating communities is a lack of political agency, few studies systematically investigate the internal and electoral politics of adapting to depopulation. This paper investigates one aspect of this process: how elected officia…
Nihon no chihō seifu
Rather than the more traditional phrase of chihō jichitai (local self-governing bodies) or the legalese of chihō kōkyo dantai (local public entities), Soga Kengo adopts the less familiar term of chihō seifu (local government) to refer to local governments in his latest work – Nihon no chihō seifu. This is a conscious and important distinction. Under the centralised postwar system, Soga explains, Japanese local governments were seen as primarily a…
Identity politics in Okinawan elections
Although identity issues have been central to Okinawan grass-roots movements, until recently few politicians have explicitly campaigned on identity appeals, rather than pacifist ideology or material promises in the form of economic development and welfare. The emergence of identity politics seeking to replace such left–right ideological competition in Okinawa appears to be a new phenomenon. Has it only been under Governor Onaga Takeshi and his ‘A…
Multi-level muddling
What drives Japanese regional elections? Multilevel factors and partisan independents
Unlike in most Western European countries from which various explanatory models for regional elections have emerged, Japanese regional elections have been characterized by a relatively high number of and vote share for independent (non-partisan) candidates. The extensive vote share for non-partisan (independent) candidates – many who are in fact affiliated or members of statewide parties – at regional as opposed to national level is the main caus…
Party Ideologies and Regional Inequality
Regional inequality within Japan has been a key political issue in Japanese politics throughout the entire postwar period. In this analysis, we examine how Japanese parties have positioned themselves on the question of regional inequality, focusing on how the party system response has been shaped by ideas and ideologies. The article analyses two 15-year periods separated by a quarter of a century (1960–75 and 2000–15) during which regional inequa…
Local Politics in Japan
In recent years, the Japanese conservatives’ dominance in local politics appears to be less of an asset, as traditional analyses claim, and more of a liability. This article argues that the LDP’s entrenched local party organizations have become a restraint on party leadership in pursing key national policy initiatives
Bamboo Shoots and Weak Roots
Recent research claims that local party organizations are essential for new parties seeking organizational stability and national-level electoral success. Yet new parties which emerged in Japan since the 1990s have failed in building nation-wide networks of local organizations. The article asks how these parties sought to expand locally and why their attempts have been largely unsuccessful. It finds evidence that under certain conditions (in urba…
Intra-party conflicts over gubernatorial campaigns in Japan
Why and when does party headquarters grant autonomy to its local branches, and what trade-offs ensue when providing such discretion? This article tackles these broader questions by focusing on a largely under-investigated area: the impact of directly elected governors and mayors on intra-party dynamics. To facilitate analysis, the article borrows from the ‘delegation’ and ‘franchise’ models, which seek to explain how party organizations adapt to …
Liabilities of Partisan Labels
Traditional explanations for the electoral strength of independents (non-partisan candidates and seat-winners) both in Japan and elsewhere have focused on electoral rules, socio-demographic factors, and political culture. These analyses do not adequately address why Japanese local candidates, particularly conservatives, have tended to actively avoid partisan labels despite being affiliated to national parties. Nor does it explain the considerable…
Delinking National and Local Party Systems
Broader structural developments in Japan in the past two decades—decline of clientelist practices, partisan de-alignment, and decentralization—have dissolved traditionally close ties between national and local party systems, creating an environment conducive to the emergence of local parties. In this context, popular chief executives in four regions launched new parties. I trace how these parties emerged and how national parties reacted to them, …
Delinking National and Local Party Systems
Broader structural developments in Japan in the past two decades—decline of clientelist practices, partisan de-alignment, and decentralization—have dissolved traditionally close ties between national and local party systems, creating an environment conducive to the emergence of local parties. In this context, popular chief executives in four regions launched new parties. I trace how these parties emerged and how national parties reacted to them, …
Multi-level muddling
Intra-party conflicts over gubernatorial campaigns in Japan
Why and when does party headquarters grant autonomy to its local branches, and what trade-offs ensue when providing such discretion? This article tackles these broader questions by focusing on a largely under-investigated area: the impact of directly elected governors and mayors on intra-party dynamics. To facilitate analysis, the article borrows from the ‘delegation’ and ‘franchise’ models, which seek to explain how party organizations adapt to …
National and local political discourses of rural in-migration in Japan
Bamboo Shoots and Weak Roots
Recent research claims that local party organizations are essential for new parties seeking organizational stability and national-level electoral success. Yet new parties which emerged in Japan since the 1990s have failed in building nation-wide networks of local organizations. The article asks how these parties sought to expand locally and why their attempts have been largely unsuccessful. It finds evidence that under certain conditions (in urba…
What drives Japanese regional elections? Multilevel factors and partisan independents
Unlike in most Western European countries from which various explanatory models for regional elections have emerged, Japanese regional elections have been characterized by a relatively high number of and vote share for independent (non-partisan) candidates. The extensive vote share for non-partisan (independent) candidates – many who are in fact affiliated or members of statewide parties – at regional as opposed to national level is the main caus…
Liabilities of Partisan Labels
Traditional explanations for the electoral strength of independents (non-partisan candidates and seat-winners) both in Japan and elsewhere have focused on electoral rules, socio-demographic factors, and political culture. These analyses do not adequately address why Japanese local candidates, particularly conservatives, have tended to actively avoid partisan labels despite being affiliated to national parties. Nor does it explain the considerable…
Delinking National and Local Party Systems
Broader structural developments in Japan in the past two decades—decline of clientelist practices, partisan de-alignment, and decentralization—have dissolved traditionally close ties between national and local party systems, creating an environment conducive to the emergence of local parties. In this context, popular chief executives in four regions launched new parties. I trace how these parties emerged and how national parties reacted to them, …
Intra-party conflicts over gubernatorial campaigns in Japan
Why and when does party headquarters grant autonomy to its local branches, and what trade-offs ensue when providing such discretion? This article tackles these broader questions by focusing on a largely under-investigated area: the impact of directly elected governors and mayors on intra-party dynamics. To facilitate analysis, the article borrows from the ‘delegation’ and ‘franchise’ models, which seek to explain how party organizations adapt to …
Bamboo Shoots and Weak Roots
Recent research claims that local party organizations are essential for new parties seeking organizational stability and national-level electoral success. Yet new parties which emerged in Japan since the 1990s have failed in building nation-wide networks of local organizations. The article asks how these parties sought to expand locally and why their attempts have been largely unsuccessful. It finds evidence that under certain conditions (in urba…
Local Politics in Japan
In recent years, the Japanese conservatives’ dominance in local politics appears to be less of an asset, as traditional analyses claim, and more of a liability. This article argues that the LDP’s entrenched local party organizations have become a restraint on party leadership in pursing key national policy initiatives
Party Ideologies and Regional Inequality
Regional inequality within Japan has been a key political issue in Japanese politics throughout the entire postwar period. In this analysis, we examine how Japanese parties have positioned themselves on the question of regional inequality, focusing on how the party system response has been shaped by ideas and ideologies. The article analyses two 15-year periods separated by a quarter of a century (1960–75 and 2000–15) during which regional inequa…
What drives Japanese regional elections? Multilevel factors and partisan independents
Unlike in most Western European countries from which various explanatory models for regional elections have emerged, Japanese regional elections have been characterized by a relatively high number of and vote share for independent (non-partisan) candidates. The extensive vote share for non-partisan (independent) candidates – many who are in fact affiliated or members of statewide parties – at regional as opposed to national level is the main caus…
Nihon no chihō seifu
Rather than the more traditional phrase of chihō jichitai (local self-governing bodies) or the legalese of chihō kōkyo dantai (local public entities), Soga Kengo adopts the less familiar term of chihō seifu (local government) to refer to local governments in his latest work – Nihon no chihō seifu. This is a conscious and important distinction. Under the centralised postwar system, Soga explains, Japanese local governments were seen as primarily a…
Identity politics in Okinawan elections
Although identity issues have been central to Okinawan grass-roots movements, until recently few politicians have explicitly campaigned on identity appeals, rather than pacifist ideology or material promises in the form of economic development and welfare. The emergence of identity politics seeking to replace such left–right ideological competition in Okinawa appears to be a new phenomenon. Has it only been under Governor Onaga Takeshi and his ‘A…
Multi-level muddling
The politics of depopulation in Japanese municipalities
Recent research has tried to understand Japan’s depopulating countryside and regions through the comparative theory of “peripheralization”. Though these studies argue that a critical determinant of peripheralization in depopulating communities is a lack of political agency, few studies systematically investigate the internal and electoral politics of adapting to depopulation. This paper investigates one aspect of this process: how elected officia…
Mainstream and deviating ideologies in Japanese gubernatorial elections
The ideological conflicts of Japan's subnational politics have tended to be interpreted as either being largely muted or contained within national dimensions. Following two decades of substantial decentralization and growing local autonomy, however, a diversity of new ideological responses to local issues have appeared. These include neo-liberal parties and executives in wealthier regions such as Tokyo and Osaka or a rising regionalist identity p…
National and local political discourses of rural in-migration in Japan
Political science (13 works) · Politics (13 works) · Law (12 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (9 works) · Political economy (9 works) · Public Administration (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Sociology (7 works) · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance (6 works) · Public Administration (6 works)