It appears that the administrative reform package desired by Watanabe Yoshimi, minister responsible for administrate reform, will be watered down as expected. Given the reception Mr. Watanabe's proposals received in the cabinet, I can't say that I'm surprised.According to Mainichi, the powers of the Cabinet Personnel Agency, the central feature of Mr. Watanabe's plan, will …
Tag: Fukuda Yasuo
Ishiba will fight on, with Fukuda’s help
Far from abandoning Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru to his critics, Prime Minister Fukuda made clear today that he stands with Mr. Ishiba in emphasizing the need for fundamental reform of the Defense Ministry. The Atago incident, instead of spelling the end of Mr. Ishiba's second tour of duty in Ichigaya, may end up bolstering it …
Intimations of change
The revised bill for the special measures law on taxation, which includes the government's ten-year extension of the temporary gasoline tax, has been scheduled for interpellation in the plenary session of the House of Representatives from Tuesday, 19 February. The bill on the road construction special fund will be under discussion from Thursday, 21 February. …
Is administrative reform a wedge issue for the DPJ?
Mainichi has an editorial about the government's administrative reform proposals — discussed in this post.Most of the editorial simply summarizes the contents of the proposals, but includes a paragraph about opposition within the LDP to the proposals."Wholly negative opinions — 'Not realistic' — can be heard from within the LDP regarding the restrictions on direct …
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Do-nothing leaders
Being back in the US, I have had a chance to reacquaint myself with American politics — and to be reminded of why I find the American political class so disappointing. The problem isn't just the failure to act; it's a failure to find new conceptual categories for the problems of the twenty-first century. US …
That rowdy budget committee
The Budget Committee in the House of Councillors is currently debating the 2007 supplementary budget before moving on to the 2008 budget.The opposition, now in control of the HC, has been giving the prime minister and members of his cabinet a rough time in deliberations, at least according to Yamamoto Ichita, LDP HC member. Writing …
The right laying low?
Since former prime minister Mori and Prime Minister Fukuda called attention to the crisis facing the LDP on consecutive days in mid-January — with Mr. Mori explicitly criticizing Nakagawa Shoichi's flirtations with Hiranuma Takeo — it seems that the ideological conservatives have backed out of the spotlight.Part of the reason, I think, is because of …
Waiting for autumn
As the temperature in the debate over the temporary gasoline tax lowers and the parties prepare to negotiate, it seems increasingly likely that Prime Minister Fukuda will succeed in pushing a general election until "after the G8 summit."Mr. Ozawa admitted as much Thursday in a speech at his annual political workshop. He declared that the …
The special tax war heats up
As noted by Jun Okumura, the Fukuda government has thrown down the gauntlet in the debate over the extension of the temporary gasoline tax. The LDP and Komeito agreed Monday to submit a bill to the HR Tuesday (and pass by Wednesday) that will extend the tax for two months, giving the government time to …
The weakness of Fukuda’s (and Japan’s) carbon campaign
As the Fukuda government has insisted at every chance it has to remind Japanese citizens and foreign governments that the focus of this summer's G8 summit in Hokkaido will be climate change policy. Tokyo is eager to be at the forefront of the quest for a post-Kyoto climate change pact.This weekend Mr. Fukuda took this …
Continue reading The weakness of Fukuda’s (and Japan’s) carbon campaign
Tobias S. Harris 