Word: cabineteer
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...Hatoyama is dead serious about changing the way Japan is governed," says Columbia University's Curtis, who points out that his Cabinet appointments clearly demonstrate the DPJ's view that ministerial positions are critical to policy, that important decisions won't be left to the bureaucrats as in past administrations. "[The new Cabinet] is not simply a change of characters in a game that continues to be played in the same way as before. They're serious about changing the way that government works - and that's reflected in this Cabinet." Hatoyama has surrounded himself with key DPJ executives...
...Japanese people for patience. "Through trial and error, we may make mistakes," he said. "But I would like the Japanese people to be gentle with us." He continued, "This is an encounter with the unknown, and we're embarking on a trip that we've never experienced." His Cabinet appointments immediately received praise. But a big question remains: How will he work with Ichiro Ozawa...
Other experts say Ozawa's new role is more focused on the interests of the party. Says Jun Okumura, a senior advisor at the think tank Eurasia Group and a former government official: "It's Hatoyama's Cabinet, and Ozawa's party. I don't think Ozawa will meddle on the policy side. He has his dream job - another crack at sticking the knife into the LDP heart without the distasteful job of being accountable to the media." Gerald Curtis, a Japanese-politics expert and professor at Columbia University, says the Hatoyama Administration is a game changer in Japanese politics...
...bureaucracy can be virtually impervious to change partly because its members are not accountable to elected officials - there's no personnel overhaul with a change in administration. The DPJ has vowed to implement some checks and balances by expanding the power of the Prime Minister's office and the Cabinet. But it's a delicate job that could easily go sour. (See pictures of Japan in 1989 and Japan...
...plans to appoint 100 ruling-party politicians to oversee ministries. In order to transfer more power to the Cabinet - and away from ministry bureaucrats - the DPJ will also replace the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, an advisory group to the Prime Minister's office set up in 2001, with a National Strategy Bureau (NSB) reporting to the Prime Minister. The NSB will be key in budget and diplomatic-policy formulation. The DPJ also wants to improve government transparency and crack down on conflicts of interest by eliminating amakudari, or "descent from heaven," a system whereby retiring bureaucrats are posted...