Author

Jemma Kim, Kansai Gaidai University

Abstract

In August 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) won the general election, resulting in the first prime minister from the DPJ in postwar history. With much fanfare in Japan, the Hatoyama administration launched a coalition government with the Social Democratic Party and the People’s New Party. This was a regime change of historical significance in Japanese party politics. The DPJ ended the dysfunctional politics of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), characterized by special interest legislators and profit-led factionalism. Hatoyama advocated for a "new politics" in contrast to previous LDP governments who were mired in an era of "old politics.” Hatoyama tried to lead the transition to a new style of political leadership and end what he described as "politics by the bureaucracy, of the bureaucracy, and for the bureaucracy."

This paper explores the formation and development of Hatoyama’s leadership style through the following three periods: the roots of Hatoyama’s leadership, the transitional period from the founding of the DPJ to his rise to power, and the failure of his leadership as prime minister. Hatoyama’s main policy was that of yu-ai or fraternity, which he defined as the exclusion of "the left and right of totalitarianism," and the realization of an ideology of "freedom and equality" and "the balance of independence and coexistence." His "new politics" was distinct from traditional LDP politics and emphasized the principles of competition and efficiency. In this sense, Hatoyama’s concept of fraternity was akin to the "third way" in European political discourse. This paper explores the factors behind the successes and failures of Hatoyama’s leadership, which can be characterized as an "ideological leadership" of seeking an alternative approach to globalization.

The full text in Korean is available here