The Abe Administration and the Rise of the Prime Ministerial Executive

Japanese politics, which has often been characterized by frequent replacement of the cabinet and the weak leadership of prime ministers, has totally changed due to the stability of the second Abe cabinet. Shinzo Abe is an example of a prime minister with a stable political base built through consecutive victories in national elections, and he demonstrates his leadership skills in interactions with leaders of other developed countries. Therefore, the enduring discourse connecting the absence of a strong prime minister to Japanese tradition and culture has almost disappeared. Instead, recent Japanese critics frequently emphasize the strength of the Abe administration and often point out the problems of excessively powerful government. In many of these discussions, scholars claim that the case of the Abe administration shows that Japanese politics is moving toward a ‘Westminster’ style of politics or a ‘Presidentialization’ of parliamentary government (for example, Machidori 2012 summarized these discussions). However, even a quick look suggests that it is unlikely that the Westminster and presidential styles are part of the same phenomenon.