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Paper short abstract

The paper examines the effect of LDP factionalisation on Japan's foreign affairs decision-making ability in 1980-82 period, characterised by one of the most intense phases of LDP factionalism. The research provides insights into the impact of domestic institutions on the formation of foreign policy.

Paper long abstract

In contemporary International Relations, neorealism has been the dominant realist theory for explaining state decision-making in international politics. Over the past two decades, this approach has guided research on Japan’s foreign policy, particularly in Japan’s relations with China and the U.S. However, the exclusive focus on structural factors fails to fully account for Japan's predominantly restrained and reactive foreign policy in the face of threats from external powers. Other realist approaches, such as neoclassical realism—especially its focus on the impact of elite fragmentation on foreign affairs decision-making and unit-level characteristics—have been largely overlooked in analyses of Japan’s foreign affairs decision-making.

This study presents the results of a scrutiny of the relatively neglected 1980-82 period of Japanese foreign policy formation, marked by arguably one of the most intense phases of factionalism within the then-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japanese political history. Using the case study, I argue that foreign policy-making was weakened by the intra-party rivalry among several powerful factions, rooted in unique institutional forms developed within the LDP. Applying the theory of neoclassical realism and drawing on available internal party reports, diplomatic bluebooks, and Cabinet records, my results demonstrate how elite fragmentation constrained Japan's ability to address external challenges, such as the shift in the U.S. policy under President Reagan towards Japan.

The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the institutional power of factions in overall decision-making and to refining the neoclassical theory of IR by incorporating the role of domestic political institutions.