The Politics of NGOs and Democratic Governance in South Korea and Japan

The growing number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is fundamentally reshaping the balance of power and the roles of NGOs in democratic governance in Japanese and Korean politics, but in distinctive ways. Korean advocacy NGOs influence policymaking by focusing on politics at the center, while Japanese NGOs achieve influence by focusing on local politics. Whereas Korean NGOs tend to be contentious and politicized, Japanese NGOs adopt more pragmatic and cooperative stances. What factors explain these significant differences in the character of NGOs and the patterns of their participation in democratic politics in Japan and Korea? This paper argues that the effects of the historical development of civil society are essential components to any explanation of the patterns of NGOs’ relations with the government and the public and their organizational structure and strategies. Civic associations in both countries have both exploited and been empowered by developments in party politics, the public's receptiveness to NGOs, and state actors’ attitudes toward NGOs. By comparing NGOs in Japan and Korea, this paper aims to enhance our understanding of the similarities and differences in both countries’ civil societies, as well as of the factors that have led to these distinctive patterns of NGO politics.