Japan's Political Tsunami: What's Media Got to Do with It?
In: The international journal of press, politics, Band 15, Heft 2, S. 236-245
ISSN: 1940-1620
This article reviews media-related aspects of the 2009 Japanese lower house elections, which saw the historic defeat of the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Drawing mainly on Internet sources and on interviews with politicians and political journalists, the authors argue that the DPJ relied primarily on conventional media strategies and made only limited use of new media in their campaign. If the DPJ hopes permanently to transform Japan's political landscape, the party will need to prioritize the reform of outdated election campaign legislation and abolish "closed shop" reporters' clubs.