Contemporary Government Reform in Japan (PDF)

economy.'

- Mark Tilton, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Purdue University"Critics in both journalism and the academic worlds have scored thegovernment's economic reforms to lift Japan out of its long recession as 'too little, too late' and political scientists have tended to emphasize either the bureaucrats in control [and at fault] or the politicians. Yet there has been some progress and successes and both bureaucrats and politicians have played a major role in both. Refreshingly, Eiji Kawabata's Contemporary Government Reform in Japansees the glass as neither half empty nor half full but both - he objectively dissects the failures and successes of the Japanese government's reform efforts in telecommunications, transportation and the postal business, three of the most important yet relatively unexamined sectors in the reform push. He does this with a sophisticated empirical analysis of the interaction of political and bureaucratic actors in these sectors and with an interesting approach that demonstrates how Japan's "dual state" of developmental and distributive networks composed of both kinds of actors produced some moderate successes and some moderate failures. This is one of the most realistic - and I think valid - works on Japan's political economy since the bursting of the "economic miracle" bubble." - Ellis S. Krauss, Professor, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego"Contemporary Government Reform in Japan by Eiji Kawabata challenges stereotypical but contradictory images of the contemporary Japanese state. Kawabata's thesis is that Japanese government does, in fact, respond to reforms to make its economy more efficient and internally competitive, to reduce governmental monopolies of service, and to streamline the government. Against the unchanging images of Japan, Inc. on the one hand, and Japan as a reform-immune pork barrel state on the other comes a more nuanced picture of how Japanese government has engaged in reforms under three different governments from the 1980s to the present. The product of extensive research, Kawabata's book describes Japan as a dual state reflecting both developmental (economic growth) networks and distributive (pork barrel) networks. By examining particular sectors of reform, Kawabata is able to show the extent to which reforms had to be bargained across the bureaucracy and the degree to which party politicians intervened and affected the course, pace, and completeness of reform. In concluding, Kawabata distinguishes between neo-liberal and managed capitalist economies, noting that reform in the latter causes greater disruptions in expectations and finds more powerful institutional and constituency resistance. Despite that, Kawabata shows that Japan is not immune to reform and is hardly unchanging, and that words about reform often turn into realities. This book is a vital one not only for students of Japanese government and politics but also for those of comparative political economy, globalization, and economic and governmental reform movements. It is carefully argued, empirical yet conceptual, and well-written." - Bert A. Rockman, Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, Purdue University