Editorial
Hatoyama administration neglecting domestic issues for international diplomacy
One month has passed since the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was launched, and it appears that his government has got off to a good start.
He has announced that Japan will aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, and canceled the construction of the controversial Yanba Dam in Gunma Prefecture. And, unlike the previous bureaucrat-led government, policy is being driven by legislators -- a triumvirate of minister, senior vice minister and parliamentary secretary at each ministry.
The public is undoubtedly feeling the drastic changes following the transfer of power from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). No wonder the Hatoyama Cabinet has enjoyed high approval ratings.
But at the same time, it has become clear what policy issues his government should prioritize.
The prime minister has demonstrated his presence in the diplomatic arena with a series of speeches at the United Nations, and summit talks with the leaders of the United States, Russia, China and South Korea, among other countries. His efforts to carry out diplomacy in close cooperation with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and without relying on bureaucrats at the Foreign Ministry are praiseworthy.
In contrast, the Hatoyama administration has yet to make any major achievements in domestic policy. Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Seiji Maehara and State Minister for Financial Services and Postal Reform Shizuka Kamei have drawn attention for their controversial remarks. However, there have been few occasions when the prime minister himself makes the important decisions.
Moreover, he has left a review of the supplementary budget for fiscal 2009 and requests for budget appropriations next fiscal year to each Cabinet minister. Some ministers even appear to be placing priority on each ministry's benefits over the entire nation's benefits.
This has raised questions about Hatoyama's pledge that he and his staff will strive to eliminate red tape. They should clearly decide which policy measures incorporated in the DPJ's original election manifesto the government places priority on, and which policies set by the previous administration it should review.
Prime Minister Hatoyama has also failed to exercise his leadership on the issue of the National Strategy Bureau, the mysterious nascent organization that his administration is set to establish to coordinate between ministries and agencies and draft a state budget under his supervision. Its creation has now been delayed, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano saying the government will submit a bill to establish the bureau to next year's regular Diet session instead of the upcoming extraordinary session.
It has been pointed out that the Finance Ministry is controlling the compilation of a fiscal 2010 budget draft just as it did under the LDP administration as a result of the delay in setting up the National Strategy Bureau. This runs counter to the Hatoyama administration's pledge to transform the bureaucrat-dominated government into one led by politicians.
The Hatoyama administration should urgently create a system in which politicians can play a leading role in working out policies. To that end, it should also submit a bill to increase the number of senior vice ministers and parliamentary secretaries to the upcoming Diet session, to help bolster its foundations.
(Mainichi Japan) October 16, 2009