Bureaucrats in Policy-Making Process Obedient Bureaucrats Necessary? - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Septmber 2018 Political Leadership and the Role of Bureaucrats in Policy-Making Process Obedient Bureaucrats Necessary? Meiji University Graduate School of Governance Studies hideakit@meiji.ac.jp Hideaki TANAKA

Today's agenda 1. The second Abe administration continues for nearly six years, and now is ranked as the third longest in terms of tenure. Abe succeeds in running the government. He is called “only one big”, which means he can do whatever he wants. Japanese politics really changes, different from traditional one where decision-making is fragmented. 2. His success is mainly because of political and administrative reforms in 1990s to strengthen the institutional capacity of prime minister, in a sense which seeks the governance of Westminster Model. But does it really improve the performance of major public policies? This presentation discuss the transformation of Japanese politics and administration by focusing on the governance of policy-making process. 1

Outline 1. Background: the development since 1990s 2. Major issues and research framework 3. Changing governance and policy- making process 4. Assessment on governance of Abe administration 5. Conclusion 2

1-1 Chronology of recent structural reforms 1994 Laws for electoral reform introducing first-past-the-post system 1997 Final Report by the Council for Administrative Reform(Hashimoto Adm.) 1998 Central Government Administrative Reform Act 1999 National Public Service Ethics Act 2001 Start of Central Government Administrative Reform realized by Koizumi Administration (until 2006) 2002 Policy Evaluation Act 2007 National Public Service Act amended for personnel assessment and strict regulation of Amakudari 2008 Basic Law for Reforming National Public Service 2009 DPJ coalition government(non-LDP government) try to strengthen political leadership and governance 2012 LDP-Komei coalition comes back, headed by Abe (the second Abe adm.) 2014 National Public Service Act amended based on Basic Law for Reforming National Public Service, Cabinet Bureau of Personnel Affairs then political and administrative reforms nearly completed 3

1-2 The Center enhanced by the Reform 2001 One of key reforms by the Central Government Administrative Reform is to strengthen the institutional capacity of prime minister for political leadership 1. A prime minister’s capability to propose basic policies independently through the amendment of the Cabinet Law 2. Strengthening Cabinet Secretariat: special advisors to PM, more other political appointees, more powerful capability for policy-planning and coordination 3. Creation of Cabinet Office: four special advisory councils chaired by PM and Chief Cabinet Secretary, such as the Economic and Fiscal Policy Council 4

1-3 The center of Japanese government PM's Office is not an organization but a residence. Even tough, it works differently from Cabinet Secretariat, because CCS, Cabinet advisors and other seniors are in PM's Office. Legislation Bureau PM's Office PM and 17 ministers National Security Council National Personnel Cabinet Secretariat Cabinet Office Authority Other various kinds of policy councils based on Chief Cabinet Secretary Internal offices relevant legislation Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (2 politicians, Cabinet Affairs offices 1 administrative ) Fair Trade Commission Deputy CCS for Crisis National Security Management Secretariat Deputy CCS for Information Financial Services Agency Assistant Chief Cabinet Cabinet Bureau of Secretary (3) Personnel Affairs Consumers Affairs Agency Cabinet Public Relations Other organizations Secretary Director of Cabinet Other various kinds of Intelligence agencies, policy councils and Ministers without portfolio(6) advisory committees Deputy ministers (10) Special advisors to PM Parliamentary secretaries(10) Executive secretaries to PM Internal offices Permanent Secretary Others Special Policy Councils (5) 5

1-4 The end of the 1955 Political System 1.The governance of Japanese parliamentary system has been transforming from “Bureaucratic cabinet” to the cabinet defined by the Constitution in 1990s. (Jun Iio, Nihon no Tochi Kozo (Governance Structure of Japan) , Chuko-shinsho, 2007) 2. The government’s ability to initiate and develop policy have become strengthened and the contrasting authority of party institutions have declined relatively over time. (Ellis S. Krauss & Robert J. Pekkanen, The Rise and Fall of Japan’s LDP. Political Party Organizations and Institutional History ,Cornell University Press, 2011) 3. Japanese politics has been moving toward the Westminster Model through political and administrative reforms in 1990s. (Satoshi Machidori, Shushou Seiji no Seido-Bunseki (Institutional Analysis on Prime Minister’s Politics) , Chikura-shobo, 2012) 4. Liberal Democratic Party has been changing due to the electoral and other related reforms, and become more right-wing political party. (Koji Nakakita, Jimin-to Seiji no Henyo (Transformation of LDP) , NHK Publication, 2014) 5. The power of prime minister has been strengthened through the electoral reform, the amendment of Political Funds Control Act 1948, and the Central Government Administrative Reform in 1990s. (Harutaka Takenaka, Shushou Shihai (Prime Minister’s Reign) , Chuko-shinsho, 2006) 6

1-5 The final political/administrative reform Basic Law for Reforming National Pubic Service 2008 “Managing senior executive services by the cabinet” based on the amendment of NPS Act 2014 1. Qualification assessment and Candidate List of SESs 2. Appointment to each position after the consultation between Prime Minister, Chief Cabinet Secretary and a relevant minister 3. Can demote SESs 4. Cabinet Bureau of Personnel Affairs 5. Special Advisors to Prime Minister and ministers 1. Japanese civil service system follows the British model basically in terms of merit- base and political neutrality, but NPA stipulates ministers including PM appoint all civil services, so they could be appointed politically. Such appointments were not common in the past, because civil services were powerful and autonomous. 2. The original idea of the reform above is to appoint best senior officials across the government based on their performance, but in reality they are much more vulnerable to political control than before. 7

1-6 The structure of the government Ruling P Ruling P Cabinet Core group Cabinet MPs of MPs of PM ruling party ruling Ministers PM "ZOKU" party Ministers Civil services Civil services Really? Government Government "Party-bureaucratic “Cabinet government" government" 8

2-1 What goes wrong? 1. Abe administration is exercising the institutional capacity of prime minister, which has been strengthened through recent reforms. It is now called “Only one big Abe”, and he looks like Tony Blair. Be careful that a PM is not always strong as Abe after the reforms. 2. Abe administration accomplished some difficult agenda such as National Security Bill and deregulation of agriculture, but is governance really enhanced? In particular, is policy-making process improved to achieve better outcomes? 3. This presentation is to evaluate “governance” in policy -making process of Abe administration, by focusing on the relationship between PM and line ministries, politicians and bureaucrats, executive and ruling parties. 4. In short, Abe administration improves the efficiency of decisions, but undermines consensus building, political neutrality of civil services, and the function of verification /assessment /scrutiny. 9