Although there are many second- and third-generation politicians in the US and Japan, how hereditary politicians are nurtured varies substantially. This research project compares the political, social, economic, psychological, and institutional factors that either enhance or diminish an informal hereditary politics in these two countries. I will also evaluate the merits and problems associated with the consequences of hereditary politics from these aspects. Through this research, how modem democracies coexist with informal hereditary factors will be explored. While hereditary political system contributes to stability of politics, they may delay its reformation when we need it. Thus, the proposed research will help us understand one possible source of Japan's ongoing stagnation. Moreover, this project will start from gathering much data on the hereditary politicians in the US and Japan prior to conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses. Such efforts will also match the goals of the program.