A slimmed-down national government debuted Jan. 6, when Japan's central bureaucracy was reorganized. The realignment cut the number of ministries and agencies, under the Cabinet Office, to 12 from the previous 22.
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori announced at a news conference that the reorganization was intended to restore to the national government flexibility in policymaking and implementation. The government says the reorganization represents Japan's third major reform in modern history, following the Meiji Restoration and radical reform undertaken after World War II.
But true reform -- replacing bureaucratic supervision with political leadership -- has yet to take place. It is up to the political leadership to determine whether administrative reform will touch off sweeping fiscal, economic, social welfare and educational reforms.