Japan Brief/FPCJ, No. 0966
October 29, 2009


Prime Minister Hatoyama Delivers First Policy Speech to Diet

On October 26 Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama delivered his first policy speech to a plenary session of both houses of the Diet. In the speech, referring to the epoch-making Meiji Restoration that took place in Japan in 1868, Prime Minister Hatoyama described the change of government brought about by the general election held on August 30 as the start of a “bloodless Heisei Reformation.” He declared that his administration would transform Japanese politics from a bureaucracy-led to a politician-led structure and undertake a “exhaustive cleanup of the postwar government.” Prime Minister Hatoyama also expressed his determination to realize a “politics of fraternity” that places emphasis on the people’s lives and the disadvantaged members of society.

Policies Outlined in the Prime Minister’s Speech

In his policy speech delivered at the beginning of a Diet session, the prime minister outlines the basic policies of his administration. It is followed by general interpellations from the representatives of political parties in the Diet, which kick off the parliamentary debate between the ruling and opposition parties. For the Diet, which is the highest organ of state power, the prime minister’s policy speech and the following interpellations can be said to play a most important role in its functions. Prime Minister Hatoyama’s speech drew attention first of all because he spoke for as long as 52 minutes. The speeches of his two predecessors, Taro Aso in September 2008 and Yasuo Fukuda in October 2007, both lasted for just 22 minutes.

Prime Minister Hatoyama devoted his speech almost entirely to a detailed explanation, mixed with anecdotes, of the policies outlined in the Democratic Party of Japan’s election manifesto. The Asahi Shimbun (October 26, evening edition) summarized the content of his speech as follows:
---The Hatoyama administration will abolish the bureaucracy-dependent setup and make a 180 degree shift to a new type of politics led by politicians and the people.
---Prime Minister Hatoyama will cooperate fully in the investigation related to the problem of his own political funds.
---Respect for the perspectives of the disadvantaged in society and minorities is the origin of the “politics of fraternity.”
---The administration will provide indirect support to the activities of citizens and nonprofit organizations.
---The administration will make efforts to switch to an “economy for the people” by directly supporting the household budget, and to realize a stable economy led mainly by domestic demand.
---It will boldly implement reforms to establish “regional sovereignty” so that regional matters are decided by local residents.
---Prime Minister Hatoyama has announced the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from the 1990 level by 2020 and his administration will take the lead in international negotiations.
---The administration’s diplomacy will be based on a close and equal Japan-US alliance.

Following the speech, interpellations by the representatives of political parties were scheduled to take place in the Diet from October 28 to 30. However, the DPJ and the People’s New Party, which is a member of the DPJ-led coalition, have decided not to ask questions in the House of Representatives, saying among other things that they want to shorten the question-and-answer time. The current extraordinary session of the Diet, which is scheduled to last for 36 days until November 30, will then be the stage for the first parliamentary exchanges between the ruling and opposition parties following the change of government.

Newspaper Editorials

Japan’s five major newspapers all carried editorials on the prime minister’s policy speech in their October 27 editions.

The Yomiuri Shimbun editorial began, “Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s inaugural policy address was a bundle of beliefs and goals he has pursued as a lawmaker. No doubt it is important for political leaders to clarify their own philosophies. However, it is no less important to note that merely espousing political beliefs and goals will do little to help the government run the country.” Mentioning the prime minister’s philosophy, including the abolition of bureaucracy-dependent politics, economic policy for the people, diplomacy that fulfills the role of a bridge between diverse civilizations, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental policies, and the building of an equal Japan-US alliance, the Yomiuri expressed concern about the gap between principles and specific measures. It asked, “. . . his political philosophy should be translated into action in the form of bills or policies. To what extent is the Hatoyama cabinet prepared to do this during the current extraordinary Diet session?”

The Asahi editorial evaluated the speech positively, commenting, “. . . given the somber reality of our society, where people are now suffering increasingly from all sorts of unfairness and hardships while the social structure itself is fraying at the seams, Hatoyama’s direct, urgent appeal for action to ‘overhaul society’ was certainly refreshing.” Expressing expectations for the Hatoyama administration’s response from now on, it said, “Hatoyama apparently intends to flesh out his basic policies and explain them when the ordinary Diet session starts early next year. By that time, he should be in a position to discuss next fiscal year’s budget, which will be compiled by late December. His administration is only 40 days old, and we can understand his wish to hold off the nuts-and-bolts talk until he is better prepared.”

The Mainichi Shimbun editorial observed affirmatively that Prime Minister Hatoyama’s political stance, expressed in such key terms as “bloodless Heisei Reformation,” was “plucky,” but it added, “Revenue sources and an economic strategy are necessary for the ‘politics of fraternity’ to be realized, but no roadmap has been shown.” The Mainichi also advised, “In the process, it will be important . . . to once again sort out the order of priority and the implementation process [for the various highlight promises made during the election campaign] and, if it becomes clear that a pledge cannot be fulfilled as promised, to frankly explain the situation and ask for understanding.”

The Nikkei editorial noted that “We could sense Prime Minister Hatoyama’s keenness to speak clearly and in his own words” but went on, “The underlying tone of the speech as a whole lacked the message that the administration will make the nation more affluent through a growth strategy. The prime minister needs to quickly outline his policy for macroeconomic management, including a growth strategy.” It also observed, “Regarding the problem of the relocation of Futenma Air Station, the US side is calling for a decision before President Barack Obama’s visit to Japan in November. The security friction in Japan-US relations is serious. We cannot help but be concerned by the prime minister’s stance of putting off a conclusion without any prospects.”

The Sankei Shimbun editorial remarked with dissatisfaction, “The speech included such pronouncements as an ‘exhaustive cleanup of the postwar government’ and a ‘new concept of public service,’ and that direction might indeed be appropriate. However, the prime minister did not state clearly how he was going to specifically realize domestic and foreign policies, so his speech lacked persuasiveness.” It also commented, “Regarding the problem of the relocation of Futenma Air Station, he did no more than explain the present situation. Prime Minister Hatoyama proclaims that he wants to build a country that is trusted by the international community as a world ‘bridge,’ but first of all he must avoid rocking the Japan-US alliance, which will be the foundation for this.”

(Copyright 2009 Foreign Press Center, Japan)

*Japan Brief is an original production of the Foreign Press Center, Japan, and does not represent the views of the Government of Japan or of any other body.


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