Since the "bubble" economy burst, the Japanese economy has stagnated. Politicians are desperately trying to rebuild, but it is too early to see any substantial results. People are becoming impatient with the situation. There are gaps between public expectations and government action, accompanied by a growing lack of trust in the political process. In this situation, any attempt to establish a new political approach begins to seem worth trying.
In order to win the trust of the public, politicians must develop policy planning skills and legislative expertise. If political expertise cannot be heightened, public expectations will not be met. Currently, there have been questions as to whether a practical and realistic policy, which provides leadership for society and the economy in the real world, can be planned and put into practice.
It has been a long time since it has been necessary to shift the center of policy planning from "Kan" (government/bureaucrats) to "Sei" (legislature/Diet Members). In spite of this, what keeps the image unchanged is the continuing dependency on bureaucrats and a lack of political leadership.
Some young politicians, the so-called "new breed," are familiar with policy planning. Also, the decisions to abolish the government committee system and introduce the Vice Ministry system are signs of political change. However, we must tackle policy planning not as a temporary and partial goal, but one aimed at long term solutions which will gain the support and trust of the public. In order to do this, many obstacles must be overcome. To clarify these points, let us review the background of the situation, the current problems and the direction in which we should be heading.
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