Japan is one of Asia’s oldest democracies and one of the world’s most stable, but how deeply rooted its democratic institutions and norms are remains a perennial question. Political scientists have tended to focus on the shortcomings of Japan’s democracy, painting a weak society that is subordinate to a strong state. This talk examines Japan’s performance on contemporary, comparative measures of democratic performance, with a sustained focus on the interplay between citizens and the state. It also considers the implications of democratic stability for Japan’s behavior as a regional and global actor.

Sherry L. Martin is Acting Asia Division Chief in the US Department of State’s Office of Opinion Research. Previously, she was an Associate Professor at Cornell University in the Government Department and the Program in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies where she authored Popular Democracy in Japan: How Gender and Community are Changing Modern Electoral Politics. She completed an AB at Princeton University and a PhD in Political Science from at the University of Michigan.

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