Comments on: Japan: Ozawa whips the DPJ and the Diet into shape http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/10/17/japan-ozawa-whips-the-dpj-and-the-diet-into-shape/ Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:12:37 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Aurelia George Mulgan http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/10/17/japan-ozawa-whips-the-dpj-and-the-diet-into-shape/comment-page-1/#comment-68588 Aurelia George Mulgan Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:10:03 +0000 http://www.eastasiaforum.org/?p=7480#comment-68588 Tobias, I strongly concur with your critique of the Scalise and Stewart article (on your own website). I can only add that they make the serious error of assuming that somehow the US governance system is the model to be emulated, whereas the DPJ has rightly modeled its changes on the UK system. So what if DPJ backbenchers don't have the policy expertise, time, staff etc. to draft legislation, when it's simply not their job to do so? In fact, under the LDP's 'unWestminister' system, backbenchers exerted far too much power over policymaking through the PARC and in policy 'cliques' (zoku) operating within the PARC committees. This system is now history as far as the DPJ is concerned - it will be interesting in the future to see whether an LDP government might seek to revive it, or follow the DPJ reforms. The first thing the LDP has got to do is abolish the PARC, but with Ishiba Shigeru in charge this is highly unlikely. He's one of the best policy brains in the LDP (so should be the leader of the opposition in my view). It's a pity they gave up the idea of having a 'shadow cabinet' - it seems that the penny still has not dropped. But for a party that is so dependent on vested interests and the links between these and individual LDP Diet members, this is not surprising. Another point, Ozawa is acting like the government whip - keeping the troops in line on policy issues, and he's given them the right advice- 'get behind the cabinet; your highest priority is to make sure you get re-elected'. He doesn't want them to go the way of the 'Koizumi children' i.e. electoral oblivion. A last point - what we're seeing in Japan now actually deserves the title 'regime shift', What I mean is that the policymaking system is shifting from a decentralised to a centralised system. Tobias, I strongly concur with your critique of the Scalise and Stewart article (on your own website). I can only add that they make the serious error of assuming that somehow the US governance system is the model to be emulated, whereas the DPJ has rightly modeled its changes on the UK system. So what if DPJ backbenchers don’t have the policy expertise, time, staff etc. to draft legislation, when it’s simply not their job to do so? In fact, under the LDP’s ‘unWestminister’ system, backbenchers exerted far too much power over policymaking through the PARC and in policy ‘cliques’ (zoku) operating within the PARC committees. This system is now history as far as the DPJ is concerned – it will be interesting in the future to see whether an LDP government might seek to revive it, or follow the DPJ reforms. The first thing the LDP has got to do is abolish the PARC, but with Ishiba Shigeru in charge this is highly unlikely. He’s one of the best policy brains in the LDP (so should be the leader of the opposition in my view). It’s a pity they gave up the idea of having a ’shadow cabinet’ – it seems that the penny still has not dropped. But for a party that is so dependent on vested interests and the links between these and individual LDP Diet members, this is not surprising.

Another point, Ozawa is acting like the government whip – keeping the troops in line on policy issues, and he’s given them the right advice- ‘get behind the cabinet; your highest priority is to make sure you get re-elected’. He doesn’t want them to go the way of the ‘Koizumi children’ i.e. electoral oblivion.

A last point – what we’re seeing in Japan now actually deserves the title ‘regime shift’, What I mean is that the policymaking system is shifting from a decentralised to a centralised system.

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