How did the LDP come to dominate Japanese politics so thoroughly after World War II?

by KuanX

I realize the risk of this going over the 20-year rule, so please limit your answers to events that took place pre-1994.

My understanding is that Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (the LDP) has been in control of Japan's Diet for virtually all of post-occupation Japanese history through the early 1990s, even though Japanese democracy was functioning reasonably well during that period. Why were they so popular -- or were they? Thanks!

phoenixbasileus

A big part of it was that the electoral system and constituencies favoured them - rural electorates and voters had (and still do) disproportionate influence. This meant that while the share of popular vote declined during their period of domination, they were able to keep winning a majority of seats.

Early on, it also helped that their potential rivals were weakened and allowed them to build a strong following in the first place.