ABSTRACT
In Chapter 6, I highlight political parties, which are often compared to gatekeepers responsible for women’s candidacy and victories. The preceding studies have elucidated that parties’ attitudes toward women’s candidacy are influenced by their ideologies, histories, and organizational structures. In addition to these three items, I attach importance to political dynamics, such as regime changes, party realignment, and a sharp decline in party popularity. I demonstrate that all of these factors are more or less influential in Japanese women’s candidacy. Meanwhile, I find that incumbency has a significantly negative impact on the women who plan or wish to run in elections. Incumbents are usually well positioned to win. The single-member district rule is so competitive in election campaigns that parties tend to nominate their incumbents repeatedly. Incumbents, accordingly, remain in office. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) exemplifies this incumbency advantage. The LDP is the most powerful party in Japan; it has monopolized the government since 1955 except for the two instances of short-term losses of power in 1993 and 2009. Men have dominated the LDP Lower House seats. The so-called old-boys’ network, additionally, is often entrenched in the method of recruitment. There is little space for women to be nominated as LDP candidates. I emphasize that a vicious cycle between the single-member district rule and party politics impedes women’s active entry into Lower House elections.
