As a member of OECD, Japan is no stranger to regulatory reform. In the early 2000s, a Council for Regulatory Reform conducted a number of projects which were assessed in an OECD review.
It now seems that the new government under Mr Abe has put the policy at the top of the government agenda. On 24 January, the Prime Minister attended the first meeting of the Regulatory Reform Council (the name has changed). According to the official site, "The Regulatory Reform Council is a council to respond to the consultation of the Prime Minister from the perspective of promoting measures on basic and important policies related to economy, to comprehensively research and examine the basic items on the reform on how the necessary regulation should be for carrying forth the structural reform of economy and society, and to give opinions to the Prime Minister on relevant items."
The PM makes an interesting distinction between his predecessor's policy "regulatory reform for its own good" and his own approach where "the purpose of the regulatory reform is clear. It is a regulatory reform for revitalizing the economy. It also aims to achieve economic growth through regulatory reform, and create employment. I expect that these purposes are set forth clearly" Japan is to use Regulatory Reform to fullfill the PM's ambition: "What we aim for becoming is number one in the world."
Work is proceeding swifty, according to Daily Yomiuri Online, who reports that during the second meeting of the council on 15 February, the secretariat presented 59 possible regulatory reform targets in four fields--health and medical care, energy and the environment, employment, and new enterprises and industrial revitalization. Controversial issues such as more flexibility in the labour market are being considered. A new growth strategy is to be compiled in June.
It now seems that the new government under Mr Abe has put the policy at the top of the government agenda. On 24 January, the Prime Minister attended the first meeting of the Regulatory Reform Council (the name has changed). According to the official site, "The Regulatory Reform Council is a council to respond to the consultation of the Prime Minister from the perspective of promoting measures on basic and important policies related to economy, to comprehensively research and examine the basic items on the reform on how the necessary regulation should be for carrying forth the structural reform of economy and society, and to give opinions to the Prime Minister on relevant items."
The PM makes an interesting distinction between his predecessor's policy "regulatory reform for its own good" and his own approach where "the purpose of the regulatory reform is clear. It is a regulatory reform for revitalizing the economy. It also aims to achieve economic growth through regulatory reform, and create employment. I expect that these purposes are set forth clearly" Japan is to use Regulatory Reform to fullfill the PM's ambition: "What we aim for becoming is number one in the world."
Work is proceeding swifty, according to Daily Yomiuri Online, who reports that during the second meeting of the council on 15 February, the secretariat presented 59 possible regulatory reform targets in four fields--health and medical care, energy and the environment, employment, and new enterprises and industrial revitalization. Controversial issues such as more flexibility in the labour market are being considered. A new growth strategy is to be compiled in June.
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