Author

Hee Sik Choi, Kookmin University

Abstract

The leadership of Yasuhiro Nakasone was an embedded transformational leadership rooted in the post-war system. Although his leadership took the transformational route, he was able to display executive ability by incorporating some aspects of the post-war system. At the same time, his leadership utilized pliability which limited the challenges from anti-reformists and radicals. This came about due to the fact that his leadership was founded on the dual evaluation of the post-war system.

This pliability was expressed through contradiction and compromise on some issues, such as Japan’s Asia diplomacy in which its relationship with neighboring countries became worse due to official visits to the Yasukuni war shrine. The failure of the Asia diplomacy created the perception that Japan was not very sincere in its apology. Contradiction was also evident in the failure to dispatch Japanese Self-Defense Forces to Iraq in that Nakasone valued pacifism but was seeking to pursue a more active role in international politics. Even though he supported neoliberalism, he increased the amount of treasury loans and the number of public enterprises created by the local government. His actions were the result of compromise with rural communities, which had traditionally supported the Liberal Democratic Party.

The full text in Korean is available here