The Liberal Democratic Party in Japan remained in power continuously between 1955 and 1993. In this study of the dominance of the LDP in Japanese politics over the last 40 years, the text examines the challenges which were mounted against this regime and explores why they failed. The subjects covered include opportunities for a united opposition during the 1970s, ideological, organisational and electoral aspects of the opposition's lack of response to such opportunities and the causes of opposition fragmentation. The book also looks at attempts at coalition, the influence of the trade unions, the importance of organizational factors and the influence, if any, of the opposition's Marxist tendencies.
