Paper short abstract:

Our study shows how Israel has become subject to a flourishing of “New Nationalist Populism”/NNP, whereas in the Japanese context some conditions still prevent extreme feelings of alienation from the authorities, being a source of inspirations to those searching to reassure the democratic enduring.

Paper long abstract:

Democratization processes and the maintenance of democratic regimes have never been easy tasks. In particular, populism has always cast a shadow upon democratic developments, though not always a severe threat. In recent decades, democracies around the world have faced a major challenge in the new wave of rightist nationalist populism (to be called here “New Nationalist Populism”, or NNP), gaining significant influence. Our study shows how Israel has become subject to flourishing NNP, while Japan still has mechanisms that avoid such extreme developments. Most of all, in Israel there grew a basic distrust in the authorities, whereas in the Japanese context a number of conditions still prevent extreme feelings of alienation from the leading elites. Japan, on the other hand, seems to suggest a model democracy that succeeds to preserve its infrastructure. This does not mean that the Japanese political model is constantly favorable compared to other democracies. What we claim is that at this point in time, Japan has more tools to cope with the NNP challenge and it may be of an inspiration to those aspiring to reassure the enduring of Israel’s democratic foundations.

As such, it seems that the present-day forces striving to rehabilitate liberal democracy may learn an important lesson from Japan. They should encourage their democratic states to become much more attentive to the socio-economic needs of their peoples, pursuing deeper involvement.