Shin Kanemaru and the Tragedy of Japan's Political System

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

   PDF

2. The Young Kanemaru (1918–1958): Early Life and Career in Yamanashi Prefecture

   • Uldis Kruze

   Pages 1-13

3. Kanemaru as a Member of the National Diet (1958–1972)

   • Uldis Kruze

   Pages 14-33

4. Kanemaru as Cabinet Minister (1972–1978)

   • Uldis Kruze

   Pages 34-49

5. LDP Work Horse (1978–1986)

   • Uldis Kruze

   Pages 50-60

6. Stage Manager of Japan’s “Bubble Economy” Political World (1986–1989)

   • Uldis Kruze

   Pages 61-72

7. The King without a Crown (1989–1992)

   • Uldis Kruze

   Pages 73-84

8. Cracks Appear in Kanemaru’s “Power Base”: Yamanashi Prefecture in 1991

   • Uldis Kruze

   Pages 85-91

9. Skewered in Public, Humiliated Behind Bars (1992–1993): The Kingmaker Falls from Grace and Serves a Symbolic Penance

   • Uldis Kruze

   Pages 92-103

10. The Kanemaru Legacy

    • Uldis Kruze

    Pages 104-112

11. Back Matter

    Pages 113-123

    PDF

Shin Kanemaru (1914-1996) served as a key power broker at the national level in Japan from the 1970s until the early 1990s. He was at the heart of the '1955 system' of conservative political rule. Though never Prime Minister himself, he controlled or strongly influenced the administrations of five Japanese Prime Ministers.

• Politics
• Japanese politics
• Shin Kanemaru
• the '55 system'
• political factions
• political power brokers
• economy
• Japan
• Japanese
• stage
• tragedy

• University of San Francisco, USA

  Uldis Kruze

Uldis Kruze is Associate Professor of History at the University of San Francisco, USA. His teaching covers the entire range of East Asian history, including the history of US-East Asian relations and his research interests have focused on postwar Japanese politics and Chinese politics. He is the author of San Francisco and the 1951 US-Japan Peace Treaty Conference (2001).

Policies and ethics