Can a constitutional monarch influence democratic preferences? Japanese emperor and the regulation of public expression
Annaka S. Kato G.
May 2022John Wiley and Sons Inc
Social Science Quarterly
2022#103Issue 3699 - 708 pp.
Objective: This study examines whether hereditary constitutional monarchs have any influence on democratic public opinion, focusing on the case of the Japanese emperor. Methods: A survey experiment on the regulation of public expression. This issue can be framed both as left wing (i.e., the regulation of hate speech) and right wing (i.e., the regulation of publicly funded anti-nationalistic exhibitions). Taking advantage of the dual nature of the issue, we test the effects of the emperors endorsement on support for regulation under each ideological frame. Results: The (former) emperors endorsement for freedom of expression does have a cross-cutting effect and decreases support for regulation. This effect is relatively small but statistically significant. Additionally, the findings provide weak evidence for the emperors own ideological position conditioning his endorsement effect. Conclusion: Hereditary monarchs do influence democratic public opinion, and their influence can cross-cut ideology.
constitutional monarch , emperor , endorsement , freedom of expression , Japan , public opinion , survey experiment
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Waseda Institute for Advanced Study, Waseda University, Nishi Waseda, Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Japan
Department of Political Science and International Relations, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
Council on East Asian Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
Waseda Institute for Advanced Study
Department of Political Science and International Relations
Council on East Asian Studies
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