ABSTRACT
This chapter relies on periodic public opinion surveys taken primarily by the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute to ascertain views of the Japanese public on various issues, including general politics, political issues, their political activity, and the imperial family. It traces these views across time, generations, and education background. Additionally, it explores other areas in which Japanese politics intersect with the general public by considering the relationship between the political world and the mass media. Here, the role of the press club is critical, as is the press–politician relationship, especially with the transformation of the media from print to visual form. Other developments that have transformed the political world’s interaction with the public are general urbanization of Japanese society and the electorate’s gravitation away from political party affiliation to identify as politically “unaffiliated.”
