Party policy and cabinet portfolios in Japan, 1996

This research note report the results of an expert survey of party policy positions and the relative importance of different cabinet portfolios in Japan at the time of the 1996 general election. The survey replicates earlier expert surveys conducted in a wide range of democratic systems by Laver and Hunt (1992), but uses a survey form adapted to the specific Japanese context, translated into Japanese, and administered from a Japanese academic institution. The results provide raw data that can be used as input to a range of different models of party competition and government formation.