ABSTRACT
The history of the Japanese political system can be divided into three distinct periods during the postwar period: the immediate postwar period (1945–55), the “1955 system” (1955–93) and the post-political reform period (1994–present). The Allied Occupation of Japan (1945–52) heavily influenced the first period as Japan began to re-establish democratic institutions following its defeat in the Second World War. During this period, the political landscape was in flux with changes to the electoral system used for the National Diet (the parliament) and the resurrection, creation and alignment of political parties.
