Policy networks in Japan : case of the automobile air pollution policies

The thesis seeks to examine whether the concept of the British policy network framework helps to explain policy change in Japan. For public policy studies in Japan, such an examination is significant because the framework has been rarely been used in analysis of Japanese policy. For public policy studies in Britain and elsewhere, such an examination would also bring benefits as it would help to answer the important question of whether it can be usefully applied in the other contexts. Based on an examination of the policy networks concept, this thesis sets out four distinct hypotheses. In order to examine their validity, the thesis examines policy-making and policy changes on emission standards in automobile air pollution policies in Japan from the 1960s to the 2000s based on the application of the policy networks approach. The thesis concludes that the policy networks approach can help to explain policy changes in Japan to a certain extent but that its explanatory value is limited. In order to make the concept more relevant to Japan, the thesis suggests that the approach should pay more attention to interpersonal relationships, individuals and individual companies and that it should consider how well participants are incorporated into networks and whether different interests can co-exist without conflicts more fully. Further, it proposes that the approach should take into consideration other associated policy networks and relationships between policy networks in order to more effectively understand policy change. Finally, based on the findings, the thesis proposes future research on shifts from the government style to the governance style of politics on automobile air pollution at both the national and local levels in Japan.