일본 수상의 정치적 리더십에 관한 연구 –고이즈미 수상을 중심으로–

Abstract

This study aims to discover how Junichiro Koizumi, the 87th prime minister of Japan, became a very strong leader in comparison to other prime ministers in Japan’s history. This study takes two main steps to answer the question. First, it provided a framework for comparing political leadership of prime ministers who successfully served their role and of those who did not. Second, it suggested a new framework based on R. Elgie’s studies on political leadership to discover which factor has had the most impact on Mr. Koizumi’s leadership. In conclusion, the study clarified that it was an interaction between three major factors – personal, circumstantial, and institutional – had impacted Mr. Koizumi’s empowered political position. Indeed, the active leadership of a prime minister may largely rely on the institutional factor. Starting from 1990s, Japan’s prime minister has been able to exercise more power as the leader of the ruling party, and as the chief of an empowered cabinet. However, not all prime ministers who took office after Mr. Koizumi were able to take advantage of the said institutional change. In these cases, people may have been restricted by personal and circumstantial factors, along with other elements that were not influenced by institutional modification in 1990s. Thus, the power base brought on by political reform alone does not always guarantee a strong leadership, neither a successful end of long-lasting term of a prime minister. That is why we should consider the interaction between many different factors rather than focusing only on the institutional factor when analyzing the political leadership of Japan’s prime minister.