The Democratic Party of Japan has announced its manifesto for the Aug. 30 Lower House election. It has two pillars: scheduled measures to directly help households and steps to end bureaucracy-led politics.

To help households, the DPJ proposes a monthly allowance of ¥26,000 for a child up to the middle school age, zero tuition for a public high school student and a minimum ¥70,000 monthly pension; plus a lower tax for smaller corporations, income compensation for farmers, a ¥100,000 monthly allowance for a jobless person in job training, and making expressways toll free.

To secure funds, the DPJ calls for a comprehensive reordering of national budgets totaling ¥207 trillion a year, abolishing wasteful spending, changing the tax system, and using reserve funds in the special account. But there is no guarantee that this approach will work. The manifesto does not discuss the possibility of raising the consumption tax, which might become necessary. It does not mention specific funding sources for the first fiscal year under a DPJ-led government, either.

The DPJ's proposals entail increasing the tax burden on some households and reducing public works spending. The party will need to persuade voters on these matters.

To get more control of politics from bureaucrats, the DPJ proposes sending some 100 Diet members to ministries, abolishing vice minister meetings — which have set the agenda for Cabinet meetings — establishing instead a Cabinet committee and creating a national strategy bureau directly under the prime minister to set basic budget policy and present a national vision and a bureaucracy renewal conference. The DPJ needs to work out the details of these proposals if it wants to come to power. Its call for slashing by 80 the number of Lower House members elected under proportional representation amounts to the suppression of minority opinions.

The DPJ's foreign policy proposals, such as strengthening Japan-U.S. ties based on an equal footing, are too general. It also does not mention its earlier opposition to Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. The party has a lot more explaining to do.