Narratives play a key role in both academic and popular discourse, particularly in politics, and there is great value in comparing the two. This research arose from a long delay in publishing the manuscript as it became clear that the changing nature and sites of political narratives in Japan was more interesting than the narratives themselves. The research encompasses not only academic theories and trends, but also journalism, political novels and the internet as well as the narratives that Japanese politicians themselves attempt to promote.
　This talk is linked to the University of Tokyo International Publishing Initiative (UT-IPI) because it raises many important issues for would-be authors of books written in English for the English reading academic audience and, of course, English language academic publishers. In this end, we are forced to consider how we produce, engage with and use knowledge of politics by focusing on narratives of Japanese politics over the past 30 years.