POLITICAL CORRUPTION IN JAPAN

Although international comparisons of levels of corruption are notorio usly difficult, Japan clearly has a serious problem. In no other indus trial democracy have corruption scandals played as large a role in ele ctions and it would be difficult to find another in which so many prim e ministers have been implicated in major scandals. Although it would appear that Italy's problem is worse, no other country comes as close to the Italian case as does Japan. Like Italy, Japan has recently expe rienced a series of scandals involving a high percentage of the politi cal establishment and has enacted a major political reform. It would a ppear that this political reform represents an attempt to move Japan f rom a 'modern boss-patronage system' towards a 'modern civic-culture-b ased system'.