Courses

This course encourages students to enhance their understanding of various topics about the Central Government in Japan from comparative perspective. We cover such topics as government system itself, bureaucracy, parliament (the Diet), and public policy making in Japan. We read one or two academic articles in both Comparative Politics and Japanese Politics every week.

The course is based on lectures and discussions. The instructor gives a lecture for 20-30 minutes every week. Following the lecture, we discuss several topics provided by several students in advance of the class for 30-45 minutes. The instructor concludes the discussion in the end of each class. To engage in class discussions, students are expected to complete all the required readings before each class.

By completing this course, students can ①understand the role of Japanese central government, and ②discuss various topics in Japanese Politics from comparative perspective.