Matthew M. Carlson is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont. He is author of Money Politics in Japan. Steven R. Reed is Professor of Policy Studies at Chuo University. He is author of many books, including Making Common Sense of Japan.

• List of Figures and TablesList of AbbreviationsIntroduction1. Understanding Corruption in Japanese Politics2. Scandals in Early Postwar Japan, 1948–19783. Scandals and Reform, 1979–20014. Scandals and Reform, 2002–20165. Bureaucratic Corruption and Political Scandals6. Sex and Campaign Finance Scandals7. Election Law Violations as Political CorruptionConclusionAcknowledgmentsAppendixesA. Yen Exchange Rate per 1 U.S. Dollar, 1950–2016B. Prime Ministers of Japan after 1945Asahi's Investigation into Election Violations in the 1960sReferencesIndex

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)

Matthew M. Carlson is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont. He is author of Money Politics in Japan. Steven R. Reed is Professor of Policy Studies at Chuo University. He is author of many books, including Making Common Sense of Japan.

• List of Figures and TablesList of AbbreviationsIntroduction1. Understanding Corruption in Japanese Politics2. Scandals in Early Postwar Japan, 1948–19783. Scandals and Reform, 1979–20014. Scandals and Reform, 2002–20165. Bureaucratic Corruption and Political Scandals6. Sex and Campaign Finance Scandals7. Election Law Violations as Political CorruptionConclusionAcknowledgmentsAppendixesA. Yen Exchange Rate per 1 U.S. Dollar, 1950–2016B. Prime Ministers of Japan after 1945Asahi's Investigation into Election Violations in the 1960sReferencesIndex

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)

Matthew M. Carlson is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont. He is author of Money Politics in Japan. Steven R. Reed is Professor of Policy Studies at Chuo University. He is author of many books, including Making Common Sense of Japan.

• List of Figures and TablesList of AbbreviationsIntroduction1. Understanding Corruption in Japanese Politics2. Scandals in Early Postwar Japan, 1948–19783. Scandals and Reform, 1979–20014. Scandals and Reform, 2002–20165. Bureaucratic Corruption and Political Scandals6. Sex and Campaign Finance Scandals7. Election Law Violations as Political CorruptionConclusionAcknowledgmentsAppendixesA. Yen Exchange Rate per 1 U.S. Dollar, 1950–2016B. Prime Ministers of Japan after 1945Asahi's Investigation into Election Violations in the 1960sReferencesIndex

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)