日本自民黨總裁初選的實施與挫折：1977年至1989年

The Implementation and Setbacks of the LDP Presidential Primary Elections in Japan: 1977-1989

一般對政治的觀察，會將焦點集中在政治領導者。日本是採用內閣制度的國家，首相是政治上的最高領導者，而且往往由自民黨總裁擔任。因此，自民黨總裁選舉是觀察日本政治的焦點。
1960年代開始，民主國家的政黨紛紛賦予黨員參與選舉政黨領袖的權力。自民黨於1977年在總裁選舉制度中，訂定了初選制度，除了國會議員外，黨員也能夠參與總裁選舉。自民黨做為民主國家日本的政黨，為何於1977年才制訂總裁初選制度？又為何僅實施二次就遭到修改？以往對於總裁選出的研究，大致將焦點置於派閥之間的競合關係，本文擬就總裁選舉制度的新角度，解釋總裁的選出與自民黨政治的變化。
本文研究發現，自民黨制訂初選制度的原因，主要是自民黨因爆發金錢醜聞，導致政權出現重大危機，因此藉由賦予黨員選舉總裁的權力，塑造自民黨開放性的形象，挽回失去的民意支持度。但在政治家個人政治利益的算計下，初選反而成為派閥擴張勢力的機制，導致僅實施二次便告終結，再度回到以派閥勢力為主的選舉制度。

Generally, observations of politics focus on political leaders. Japan, as a country with a cabinet system, designates the Prime Minister as the highest political leader, who is often concurrently the president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Therefore, the LDP presidential election becomes a focal point for observing Japanese politics.
Since the 1960s, political parties in democratic countries have increasingly been granting their members the right to participate in the election of party leaders. In 1977, the LDP established a primary election system within its presidential election framework, allowing not only Diet members but also party members to participate in the presidential election. Why did the LDP, as a political party in democratic Japan, only establish a presidential primary systemin 1977? And why was it amended after being implemented only twice? Previous research on the election of the party president mainly focused on the competitive relationships between factions. This paper intends to explain the selection of the president and the changes in LDP politics from a new perspective on the presidential election system.
This study finds that the reason behind the LDP's establishment of the primary election system was a significant crisis in their governance due to a financial scandal. In order to regain public support, the LDP aimed to create an image of openness by granting party members the power to elect the party president. However, due to politicians’personal political interests, the primary elections became a mechanism for factional expansion. This resulted in the system being abandoned after only two implementations and a return to a faction-based electoral system.