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Paper short abstract

The inauguration of the Takaiichi administration in 2025 ignites debates over Japan’s rightward shift. This study examines the LDP–Nippon Kaigi relationship through text analysis of party and movement documents (1995–2025), focusing on leadership ideology, mobilization, and ideological congruence.

Paper long abstract

In 2025, following the inauguration of the Takaiichi administration in October, debates over the conservative and rightward shift of Japanese politics have been reignited, prompting renewed attention to developments that began under the second Abe administration. In this context, the relationship between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Nippon Kaigi has once again emerged as a focal point of discussion. In particular, scholars and commentators have highlighted their close ties over constitutional revision, especially with regard to Article 9. Despite this renewed interest, systematic empirical analyses examining how and under what conditions the LDP and Nippon Kaigi have aligned remain limited.

This study aims to contribute to debates on political rightward shift in Japanese politics by examining one aspect of the relationship between the LDP and Nippon Kaigi through an analysis of their respective activities. Specifically, it tests two hypotheses concerning factors that shape relations between political parties and social organizations (interest groups): party leadership ideology and organizational resources. First, when the LDP president holds a more right-leaning ideology and Nippon Kaigi’s mobilizational capacity (measured by membership and number of local branches) increases, the degree of congruence between the two actors is expected to rise. Second, when the LDP president adopts a more liberal ideological stance and Nippon Kaigi’s mobilizational capacity declines, the level of congruence is expected to decrease.

To test these hypotheses, this study conducts a text analysis of official documents produced between 1995 and 2025, including LDP party convention materials (such as party platforms and policy guidelines) and Nippon Kaigi's general assembly documents (such as activity and policy statements). By tracing patterns of alignment over three decades, this research seeks to shed light on the conservative turn in Japanese political society since the mid-1990s and to contribute to broader discussions on party–society relations, mobilization, and advocacy by social organizations.