Perspectives

Probing Kan's philosophy of minimizing unhappiness

In a news conference upon his ascent to the position of prime minister, Naoto Kan stated that the goal of politics was to minimize people's unhappiness.

Reporters who have known Kan for a long time say that he has cherished the philosophy of minimizing unhappiness in society for some time. This line of thinking draws on the ideas of John Rawls, who taught political philosophy at Harvard University. Michael Sandel, a professor from the same university, raised the issue in his eighth lecture in the popular NHK television program "Harvard Hakunetsu Kyoshitsu" (Justice with Michael Sandel).

On the flipside of the philosophy of minimizing unhappiness is utilitarianism, an ideology promoted by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham that revolves around providing the greatest possible good to the largest number of people. This was something that Rawls rejected. When seeking the good of the majority, it is common for the good of the minority -- namely the weak -- to be ignored. Making efforts to maximize the benefits of the people in the most unfortunate circumstances is what constitutes "justice," Rawls says.

To some readers this may all sound like gibberish, but a book I can recommend is Sandel's "Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?" Thanks to the television program, this work has approached bestseller status in Japan. From the perspective of studying Kan's ideas, it is a worthwhile read.

That aside, while Kan aspires to maximize benefits for those who are the least well-off, his rise to the prime minister's post has seen him move his attention from "distribution politics" to fiscal reconstruction. One might conclude that the philosophy of reducing unhappiness has given way to realism.

While this seems to hold true, there are doubts over whether the Democratic Party of Japan's policies to date have really been based on a theory of minimizing unhappiness.

Even parents with an income level in the range of 100 million yen a year can receive the government's monthly child allowance of 13,000 yen. What does that have to do with minimizing unhappiness? Road tolls are another issue. Does making expressways toll-free reduce unhappiness?

The politics of the DPJ has certainly not been based on the philosophy of minimizing unhappiness. Far from it; there is a possibility that the party has actually gone in the opposite direction, trying to maximize happiness of the majority through handouts.

I do not think that minimizing unhappiness means minimizing welfare. But whatever the case, welfare handouts are certainly not the answer.

If Kan is serious about fiscal reconstruction, there is a need to switch over to a system of welfare that minimizes unhappiness, narrowing down measures to help those who really are weak.

That being said, while it seemed for a while that the pride of Japan's prime ministers was in their lineage, it is heartwarming to see someone come out speaking about a political philosophy connected with Rawls, one of the great intellectuals of the 20th century.

The philosophy of minimizing unhappiness is probably a political belief that one-time citizen campaigner Kan implemented and came to have confidence in. I don't believe there is anything wrong with politics that minimizes unhappiness. (By Michio Ushioda, Expert Senior Writer)

Click here for the original Japanese story