FORUM - Japanese politics: Trends and prospects

One of the frustrating things about analysing Japanese politics is that after every significant development, people assume we have arrived at some ill-defined, unstated destination. It is assumed that after every election something has been achieved, and a new era is commencing. But it is the fundamental processes that are underway that really matter. Japanese politics is undergoing a long-term process of political realignment and it is in transition. I'd like to analyse what this means, also how we can recognise it and what the prospects are for Japanese politics, given that we now know where we've come from in terms of contemporary Japanese politics, but do not know where we are headed.