Carlson and Reed offer a persuasive argument that structural reforms adopted in 1994 have improved Japanese politics, with greater transparency helping the media in its ability to reveal—and thereby discourage—political scandal.(Choice) A must-read for scholars of Japanese politics and those who study corruption in other places and times.(Perspectives on Politics) The narratives give nuance to the analytical framework in dialogue with the evidence and bring forth newer types of scandals to give us a historically grounded and plausible assessment of how corruption evolved and was gradually transformed and reduced in Japan.(Political Science Quarterly) This book is a tour de force, with an ambitious scope and complex analytical objectives.(Journal of Japanese Studies)