Reformer or Destroyer? Hashimoto Tōru and Populist Neoliberal Politics in Japan

At his peak, the exceptional political performance skills and distinctive political program of Hashimoto Tōru made him Japan’s most popular, and potentially most influential, politician. This article describes his meteoric political career as a classic case of Japanese-style populist neoliberalism, featuring populist criticism of unions and public sector employees, neoliberal market-oriented policymaking, and comprehensive regional restructuring. Like Ronald Reagan and Koizumi Junichirō, who effectively meshed populist with neoliberal practices, Hashimoto has maintained strong political support by combining outstanding political performance skills with a signature policy, unifying Osaka City and Osaka Prefecture, to create a distinctive policymaking agenda. The aggressive and impatient political style of Hashimoto has often resulted in poor policies, but has bolstered his popularity by creating an image of decisive and effective decision-making, although his political weaknesses became increasingly apparent in 2013.