I deeply appreciate the Democratic Party of Japan's manifesto (ahead of the Aug. 30 Lower House election) vowing to weaken the power of Japan's bureaucrats. I also see other good points such as support for child-rearing and education. The DPJ says it will find the money necessary for its programs by eliminating wasteful spending, but I wonder if there really is enough money to carry out its measures. I hope the DPJ can make cuts through administrative reform. It seems to me, though, that the DPJ doesn't have a concrete idea of how much its manifesto will cost and where it can raise the money.

jun okui