The Power Structure of the Democratic Party of Japan and the Making of the 2010 National Defense Program Guidelines
Author: Yu-jen Kuo
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) intentionally emphasized “political leadership” in office in order to concentrate policymaking power in cabinet ministers as opposed to the ruling party and the bureaucracy. However, the absence of a clear power structure within the party, as well as between the party, cabinet, and bureaucracy meant that while DPJ widely participated in the making of the National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG), defense bureaucrats ultimately exercised much greater influence. In addition, the DPJ’s lack of a firm ideology and policy preferences on defense issues left the space for more realistic discussions based on Japan’s security environment between the New Advisory Panel on National Security and Defense Capabilities (shin anbokon) and the defense bureaucrats, which resulted in the most significant shift in Japan’s national defense strategy since the end of the Second World War.