青嵐会の興亡史‐政策集団から派閥まで

Abstract

Seirankai was one of policy groups established in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1973, well known for the fact that its members signed the act of its foundation with their own blood. Seirankai was also called a “detached force” of Fukuda faction, because its politicians sided with Fukuda Takeo against Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei in the so-called “Kaku-Fuku war”. They represented the right wing of the ruling party, and opposed normalization of relations with the communist China. The basic policy of Seirankai consisted of introduction of patriotic education, revision of the constitution and promotion of relations with the countries representing the “free world”. In 1974 its politicians opposed the plans of signing an aviation agreement with the People’s Republic of China, and tried to sabotage government’s efforts by blocking the discussion in the LDP Policy Affairs Research Council. Seirankai’s activity weakened since 1975, but in 1979 its leader Nakagawa Ichirō officially established a new faction to compete for power in the party. Nevertheless, in the 1980s former Seirankai members assumed important posts in the government, and exhibited a much more moderate political posture than before. The paper analyzes Seirankai’s evolution from a policy group to a faction.