Description
Abe Shinzō served as Prime Minister of Japan from September 2006 to September 2007, andagain from December 2012 to September 2012. His first term made him one of the shortest-
serving Japanese prime ministers; his second made him the longest-serving premier in the
nation’s history. This radical transformation in fortunes raises important questions about how
political actors can reinvent themselves and alter public opinion of their own capacity to lead.
This thesis argues that the projection of a compelling political narrative of national economic
regeneration played a key role in Abe Shinzō’s political transformation.
I examine this reconstruction of political fortunes through the lens of a strategic narrative
framework. Although other academic research has analysed Abe’s transformation through
examination of his policies and political networks, there has been a lack of studies exploring
how Abe communicated his new political approach to his audiences. Strategic narrative
research in the field of International Relations has shown that stories and their formation by
political actors play a critical role in shaping the discursive environment in which politics are
done. Through careful analysis of the stories Abe Shinzō told during the LDP presidential
election campaigns of 2006 and 2012, the general elections of 2012 and 2014, and the Upper
House elections of 2007 and 2013, I demonstrate that Abe’s effective deployment of strategic
narratives was a crucial factor in his re-emergence as a central figure in postwar Japanese
politics, and introduce a strategic narrative framework to domestic Japanese politics for the
first time.
By forming and projecting a compelling narrative focused on a set of economic policies known
as ‘Abenomics’, Abe placed himself at the centre of a story of national regeneration; by arguing
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narratively that Japan’s continued economic recovery was inextricably linked to the success of
Abenomics, Abe was able to lead his party to three successive election victories. I also
demonstrate Abe’s narrative flexibility, examining the complexification of his strategic
narrative over time, introducing the concept of ‘Proactive Contribution to Peace’ as he sought
to link his story of national economic regeneration to one of greater Japanese contribution to
global security. Crucially, these narratives were also broadly accepted by Abe’s domestic and
international media audiences, allowing ’Abenomics’ to become the dominant narrative about
the direction of Japanese politics, both within and outside of the country. Overall, I offer a new
account of Abe Shinzō’s re-emergence as the central figure in Japanese politics and
demonstrate the persuasive power of strategic narratives in the setting of domestic politics.
| Period | 07 Dec 2022 |
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| Examinee | Matt Loten |
| Examination held at |
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