ABSTRACT
Kakuei Tanaka fell from office relatively quickly due to a decline in popularity as a result of economic crisis and revelation of his questionable financial dealings, both of which his opponents used to undermine his government. Despite his removal, Tanaka’s efforts to maintain an influence continued to destabilise Japanese politics for over a decade. The emergence of the Seirankai, or Blue Storm Society, has been attributed to the inability of Tanaka to incorporate younger MPs into his government. Tanaka’s plans for a dramatic shift in regional policy had the immediate effect of fuelling a boom in land speculation. The contest to succeed Tanaka was a three-way one between Takeo Fukuda, Masayoshi Ohira and Takeo Miki. Ohira had the backing of Tanaka, and based on sheer numbers looked to be likeliest to win another presidential contest. The Tanaka faction was poised to keep Suzuki in place, but with his refusal to run, the faction was faced with a dilemma.
