The Japanese prime minister and public policy / Kenji Hayao.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hayao, Kenji, author.

Series:

Pitt series in policy and institutional studies.

Pitt series in policy and institutional studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nakasone, Yasuhiro, 1918-.

Nakasone, Yasuhiro.

Prime ministers--Japan.

Prime ministers.

Japan--Politics and government--1945-.

Japan.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (377 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Pittsburgh : University of Pittsburgh Press, [1993]

Summary:

Despite the undeniable importance of Japan in world affairs, both politically and economically, the office of the Japanese prime minister has recieved far less attention from scholars than have the top political offices in other advanced industrialized democracies. This book is the first major systemic analysis of the Japanese prime minister's role and influence in the policy process.Kenji Hayao argues that the Japanese prime minister can play a major if not critical role in bringing about a change in policy. In Japan the prime minister's style is different from what is considered usual for parliamentary leaders: rather than being strong and assertive, he tends to be reactive. How did the role develop in this way? If he is not a major initiator of policy change, how and under what conditions can the prime minister make his impact felt? Finally, what are the consequences of this rather weak leadership?In answering these questions, Professor Hayao presents two case studies (educational reform and reform of the tax system) involving Nakasone Yasuhiro to see how he be became involved in the policy issues and how he affected the process. Hayao then examines a number of broad forces that seem important in explaining the prime minister's role in the policy process: how a leader is chosen; his relationships with other important actors in the political system - the political parties and the subgovernments; and the structure of his "inner" staff and advisors.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations and Japanese Terms

List of Agencies and Organizations

1. The Japanese Prime Minister: Reactive Leadership

Literature on Policy Making in Japan

Leadership and the Policy Process

Prime Ministerial Issues

Conclusion

2. The Japanese Prime Minister in Comparative Perspective

Japan as a Majoritarian System

Long-term Trends

3. Nakasone and Educational Reform

Educational Reform Reaches the Agenda: Nakasone Looks for an Issue

Establishing the National Council on Educational Reform

The National Council on Educational Reform

The Rinkyoshin's Deliberations

Enactment of Proposals

4. Nakasone and Tax Reform

Tax Reform Reaches the Agenda

Shaping the Agenda

The LDP Tax Council Deliberations

The First Attempt to Pass the Tax Reform Bills

The Second Attempt to Pass the Tax Reform Bills

Epilogue: Tax Reform Under Takeshita and Kaifu

5. The Process of Selecting a Prime Minister

Becoming a Candidate for the Party Presidency

The Race for the Presidency of the LDP

6. The Prime Minister and Party Politics: The LDP and the Opposition

The LDP

The National Assembly

7. The Prime Minister and Subgovernments

Subgovernments

The Prime Minister and Subgovernments

8. The Prime Minister's Staff

The Inner Staff

The Cabinet Secretariat

The Management and Coordination Agency

Personal Advisers and Advisory Committees

9. The Prime Minister and Public Policy

The Size of the Prime Minister's Agenda

The Prime Minister and the Policy Process

The Prime Minister and Policy Change

Sustaining Resonance

10. Conclusion

The Perils of Strong Leadership.

The Prime Minister and the Japanese Political System

Appendixes

Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780822971573

0822971577

OCLC:

878132918