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The Political Strategy of Appealing to Religious Nationalism: Examining Motivations to Join Religious Organizations by Japanese LDP Politicians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2020

Hope Dewell Gentry Open the ORCID record for Hope Dewell Gentry [Opens in a new window]
Hope Dewell Gentry*
Affiliation:
University of North Texas
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Hope Dewell Gentry, University of North Texas. E-mail: hopedewellgentry@my.unt.edu
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Abstract

When the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) again took control after the 2012 general election, Japan's ruling party politicians increasingly associated themselves with Shinto Seiji Renmei, a political organization that is affiliated with Shinto, the country's native religion. What are the motivations for joining such a group, considering Japan has institutional regulations regarding the separation of politics and religion, in addition to there being no sign of rising religiosity among the Japanese population? I explain this puzzle by focusing on politicians' electoral incentives in a changing environment of Japan's party politics. As the opposition became fragmented after 2012, the ruling party's candidates found it electorally advantageous to appeal to the core supporters rather than the centrist floating voters. An empirical analysis of an original dataset supports my argument. The findings suggest the changes in Japan's political landscape might affect the future strategies of LDP politicians, particularly regarding the coalition with Komeito. Overall, this study proposes that there is a need to pay closer attention to politicians' strategic use of religion in politics.

Type
Article
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 14 , Issue 4 , December 2021 , pp. 691 - 711
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association

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