In past elections, "devolution" was hardly an issue because political parties thought the subject would not rouse voter interest. Even if local government leaders made demands, political parties did not seriously heed them. Things are different ahead of the Aug. 30 Lower House election.
This time the issue of how to devolve central government authority to local governments has moved to the foreground. The National Governors' Association held a public discussion meeting on devolution with representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and the Democratic Party of Japan, then graded each party's manifesto policies with regard to devolution. Out of 100 points, Komeito scored the highest with 66.2 points followed by the LDP with 60.6 and the DPJ with 58.3.
Gov. Yasushi Furukawa of Saga Prefecture, head of the grading committee, said all three parties "passed." In short, there does not seem to be much difference among them. It appears that they hastily adjusted their party platforms to placate the governors. For example, they all agreed to set up a body prescribed by law for consultations between the central and local governments.