Japan's Political Status Quo

The recent selection of a new prime minister in Japan epitomized the way Japanese politics work. With little or no public input, party officials selected Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) officer Yoshiro Mori to replace former prime minister Keizo Obuchi, who suffered a stroke. In back-room negotiations based mostly on who would most obediently and loyally serve the LDP's interests, Mori emerged with the coveted title in hand. Unfortunately, his selection embodied the flawed modus operandi of the LDP and the Japanese political system in general.

The problems started with the proclamation of chief Cabinet secretary Mikio Aoki that Prime Minister Obuchi had appointed him acting prime minister. But with no witnesses to this supposed action and Aoki's relative unpopularity with the LDP's ruling elite, quick action was taken to dissolve the existing Cabinet so that a new prime minister could be chosen. On the short list of possible candidates, Mori was the consensus candidate. He can be trusted not to rock the boat and to carry out few visionary reforms. Instead, he is predicted to plod along, maintaining the status quo as determined by a small group of LDP insiders.

Not only were there problems with Mori's selection, but the troubling state of the Japanese media was revealed as well. Immediately following Obuchi's stroke, there was a 22-hour media blackout about the prime minister's location and status. The press first reported that he was "studying policy," blindly accepting the briefings offered to them by party officials.

Although Obuchi himself was a longtime party insider who made few significant reforms during his time as prime minister, he had established relationships with other G-8 leaders and a strong interest in improving the currently moribund Japanese economy. In the upcoming months, Japan faces major events such as hosting the G-8 conference and popular elections. Whether Mori will be able to establish himself as a leader while managing this important conference is still to be seen.

All things considered, the entire selection process was fraught with problems. Most disturbingly, interviews and polls of the Japanese public show little distress over either Obuchi's failing health or his replacement by Mori. Seemingly, the Japanese people have such little faith in their government that one party operative is equivalent to another. More than the back room politics and the spoon-fed media, the disillusionment of the Japanese people is disheartening. As the downward spiral of the Japanese government continues, economic recovery seems to slip farther and farther away. Without the support of the people, significant improvement is impossible.