Publication

This paper argues that Japanese political institutions, especially before the 1994 Lower House electoral reform, were biased in favor of business interests, and against any serious, sustained effort to regulate environmental pollution. In the authors' opinion, positive reports about Japan's past anti-pollution initiatives have been over-exaggerated. They do predict, however, that the higher probability of post-reform coalition governments and higher electoral thresholds in new single-member electoral districts will combine in favor of stronger anti-pollution laws.