The Politics of East Asia: China, Japan, Korea by John E Endicott & William R Heaton

Author:John E Endicott & William R Heaton [Endicott, John E & Heaton, William R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Political Science, World, Asian, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9781000232837
Google: pxGjDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 51869396
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

The Decision-Making Process

The decision-making process is another unique aspect of Japanese society. It is closely tied to the ringi system. This system, frequently seen in Japanese bureaucracy and business, is one in which middle-ranking personnel create policy by initiating studies and papers at their level. Through a series of consensus-building exercises the ideas move ever upward in the chain of command until they are adopted by the organization as a whole. The ringi system represents a kind of decision making found in Japanese commercial or government organization, but it does not explain the decision-making system used by the ruling party to make national policy acceptable to the opposition and the national constituency.

In general, consensus must be obtained before a decision is made. The charge that a party, faction, or leader is “going it alone” is one of the most serious charges that can be made within the framework of the Japanese polity. Rule by majority—the norm in Western democracies—is not greeted in a favorable light in Japan. Edwin Reischauer points out in The Japanese that almost two-thirds of Diet legislation is passed by unanimous consent.3 This reflects the remarkable effort by the ruling party to placate, as far as practicable, the opposition parties, paying close attention to criticisms they might have on particular bills. On selected major issues, the LDP must resort to forcing votes without waiting for consensus among the parties.

In the political world, decisions are first worked out within the LDP. Then bills are submitted to the Diet, thus forcing other parties to come to grips with the issues. Often, modifications recommended by the opposition parties can be accommodated in the proposed legislation, resulting in unanimity or consensus. On issues of an ideological nature, such as the various party positions toward the security treaty, multi-party consensus usually cannot be reached. In those instances the LDP often resorts to using a “ram-rod” to get legislation or treaties passed. The opposition may then take to the streets or, more likely, to the media. Great party opposition to LDP Diet tactics may result in a boycott of Diet proceedings. In such cases, after having passed the measure, the LDP, hat in hand calls for a meeting of the various secretaries general to apologize for acting tempestuously and to request a return to normal procedures.

It is easy to talk in general terms about the nature of decision making in Japan, but it may be more informative to follow one decision in detail to observe how the LDP reaches consensus on some contentious question. For a step-by-step description of the process, see the March 1977 issue of Asian Survey, which covers the eight years of maneuvering that went into Japan’s ratification of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

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