Coursehero >> New Hampshire >> Chester >> ECO 343

Course Hero has millions of student submitted documents similar to the one below including study guides, homework solutions, papers, exam answer keys and textbook solutions.

- WSJ.com Article February 5, 2002 COMMENTARY Rebel Without a Cause By MICHAEL JUDGE As is often the case with personnel changes in Japanese politics, last week's sacking of Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka was more about maintaining the status quo than improving government. Sure, the outspoken and flamboyant daughter of former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka made some high-profile gaffes, including her famed refusal to meet with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage because she was "too busy." But Japan's first female foreign minister wasn't fired solely because she embarrassed Japan on the world stage (something the Japanese people are used to in their politicians). She was fired for the very reason she is so popular with the nation's increasingly sophisticated electorate: her brazen willingness to stand up to the ministry mandarins and old guard within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who have run Japan, Inc., into the ground. The dramatic drop in the prime minister's approval ratings after sacking Ms. Tanaka are as much a reflection of the public's disappointment in the pace of reform as they are a show of support for the former foreign minister. In a poll conducted last Friday by the Japanese business daily, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Mr. Koizumi's approval rating plunged 30 percentage points to 55.6% after giving the popular Ms. Tanaka the boot. Other polls put his approval rating as low as 35% , with just 2% of the Japanese public agreeing with the decision. So why did he do it? Surely Mr. Koizumi knew he would be committing political seppuku by firing the celebrity-like daughter of a legendary prime minister. The short answer is he had to -- but not for the reasons you might think. Outside Japan most believe the firing was the result of Ms. Tanaka's uncooperative and often embarrassing behavior, which culminated in a spat with senior LDP lawmaker Muneo Suzuki over allowing NGOs to participate in last month's Tokyo conference on Afghan reconstruction. Not really earth-shattering stuff. Inside Japan, however, the rationale behind Ms. Tanaka's sacking is all too clear: She was a direct threat to the cozy relationship between career bureaucrats and LDP politicians that has enabled them to line their pockets with taxpayer money for years. "As a number of recent scandals reveal, the foreign ministry shows signs of being as corrupt as other arms of the bureaucracy," explains Ron Bevacqua, senior economist with Commerz Securities in Tokyo. "What she was doing there was admirable -- trying to break down the old-boy networks between bureaucrats and the LDP." The foreign ministry, like so many other Japanese ministries, has been plagued by a seemingly endless stream of scandals, the most recent being massive overspending on the 2000 G-8 summit in Okinawa and kickbacks for contracts to certain taxi and limousine companies. Ms. Tanaka, taking her role as a reformer seriously, knew the only way to end the corruption was to sever the ties that bind the LDP old guard and the career mandarins within her own ministry. She did this, in her usual outspoken way, by publicly chiding LDP powerbroker Muneo Suzuki -- there's that name again -- for controlling what was supposed to be her ministry. From that point on she was considered a threat to the system itself and had to be stopped. Bureaucrats in her own ministry disobeyed her, the usual LDP suspects attacked her and the famously lazy Japanese press lapped it up. She was, according to them, out of control; i.e., another hysterical woman. Sadly, Mr. Koizumi never even attempted to come to her rescue. "Breaking the link between the LDP and bureaucracy and getting arrogant bureaucrats to fall in line is what real reform in Japan is all about," says Mr. Bevacqua. "She did it in a very undiplomatic way, but at least she tried." The Japanese people may be adverse to change, but years of bureaucratic government scandal, corruption and flat-out incompetence have made them realize that change is needed. They understand that if Mr. Koizumi, the so-called rebel, were serious about ending the bureaucrats' sway over politicians he would have allowed Ms. Tanaka to continue waging war at the foreign ministry. Once again, Japan's leaders have underestimated the degree of outrage that they themselves have sparked in the Japanese electorate. Ironically, Mr. Koizumi's abandoning of Ms. Tanaka may well spell the end of his own political relevance. As his popularity dwindles, so too will his control over the most conservative factions within the LDP. He will be forced to capitulate further or resign. The "Tanaka crucifixion," as the Japanese press is calling it, wouldn't be so disappointing if expectations weren't so high when Mr. Koizumi first took office last April. A self-described "free marketeer" who attended the London School of Economics, Mr. Koizumi cultivated the image of a swashbuckling reformer. Everything about him, from his wavy permanent to his penchant for heavy-metal music, was touted as further evidence of his ability to revitalize post-bubble Japan. Many Japan watchers, including this one, saw Mr. Koizumi as the last best hope to end the bureaucratic sprawl, Keynesian spending and insulation from market forces that resulted in the country's lost decade. To be fair, his reputation as a reformer was more than just spin. He earned it with his forthright handling of Japan's HIV-tainted-blood scandal while head of the Ministry of Health and his repeated calls for the privatization of Japan's massive postal-savings system. Moreover, his promise to end old-school, faction-based politics and rein in wasteful public spending was music to the ears of a nation that had grown increasingly skeptical of multi-trillion-yen "stimulus" packages, wasteful public works and pork-barrel politics. This grass-roots appeal helped win him 123 of the 141 votes cast last April by local LDP chapters across Japan. Not surprisingly, Mr. Koizumi has denied allegations that firing Ms. Tanaka will slow the pace of reform within his government. Last Friday, with his popularity plummeting, he promised the nation that "Even though the public support rating has fallen, we won't ease up in our reform efforts." Yesterday, the embattled prime minister ordered "top bureaucrats" to sever all questionable ties with LDP politicians. This is a bit like telling a novelist to sever all ties with his publisher, as the overwhelming majority of Japanese laws still come straight from the pens of bureaucrats. It is still uncertain whether Mr. Koizumi will find the factional support within the LDP to remain prime minister. But there is little doubt that he will now fall increasingly under the sway of the most conservative factions within the LDP, including the powerful Hashimoto faction. Indeed, his recent approval of yet another massive "supplemental budget," complete with old-style fiscal stimulus and more public works, along with his growing compulsion to increase tax revenues, is a strong sign that he's already sold out. Like his one-time political guru, former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, who worked early in his prime ministership to push for important financial reforms only to fall on his sword over tax increases, Mr. Koizumi is now headed in the wrong direction, and perhaps even oblivion. Mr. Judge is assistant features editor of The Wall Street Journal editorial page. URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1012862481924757040.djm,00.html Updated February 5, 2002 12:17 a.m. EST Copyright 2002 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved Printing, distribution, and use of this material is governed by your Subscription agreement and Copyright laws. For information about subscribing go to http://www.wsj.com

Find millions of documents here - Study Guides, Homework Solutions, Papers, Exam Answer Keys and more. Course Hero has millions of course related materials that will enable you to learn better, faster and get an A in all your courses.
Below is a small sample set of documents: