[ New Research Projects ]
A Study of "Law of Life Ethics"
- Research Institute: NIRA [NIRA-conducted research]
- Research Term: April 2001 - October 2002
The research project "Legal Issues Relating to Developments in Cloning and Other Life Sciences," part of NIRA's Comprehensive Research Project for the Twenty-first Century, was conducted in order to explore the ways in which Japan's legal system should be improved in order to respond effectively and appropriately to rapid developments in the life sciences, including cloning technology. After 18 months of examination, the project's research results were summarized as the "Tentative Law of Life Ethics."
It has already been determined that the NIRA-drafted "Tentative Law of Life Ethics" will be one of the discussion themes at the meeting of the Private Law Society of Japan to be held in 2002. The opinions presented in the discussions will be summarized as the society's unified view and presented for Diet deliberation. The purpose of this project is to further examine and refine the tentative law, in such a way that 'Tentative' can be withdrawn from its designation and the "Law of Life Ethics" can be proposed to the Private Law Society of Japan and other bodies.
- Research Institute: NIRA [NIRA-conducted research]
- Research Term: April 2001 - March 2002
In response to the progress of democratization, Asian countries have begun in recent years to accelerate the pace of their movement towards decentralization. Given this situation, the establishment of an appropriate local government system is urgently required, and therefore the cultivation of personnel capable of undertaking administrative management in local governing bodies has become an important issue.
The necessary content of advanced education provided by institutions of higher education and the practical training offered by local governments and private companies will be examined, with a special focus on executive staff employed in local administration in countries throughout Asia.
- Research Institute: NIRA [NIRA-conducted research]
- Research term: April 2001 - March 2003
In view of the fact that economic plans have served as the foundation of economic policy management in post-war Japan, NIRA has collected, evaluated and analyzed materials concerning the "National Income-doubling Program" and the two other major economic programs adopted between 1955 and 1964, during the post-war recovery and rapid economic growth periods. Preparations are underway to publish a reprint edition of the "Materials Related to the National Income-doubling Program."
Research on economic plans is continuing, focusing on the four programs adopted between 1964 and 1975: the "Economic and Social Development Program (1967)," the "New Economic and Social Development Program (1970)," the "Economic and Social Basic Program (1973)" and the "Economic Plan for the First Half of 1975."
The decade from 1965 to 1975 established the idea of "Japan Inc." In this period economic plans served as the major policy measures for consensus building among the administrative, business and finance sectors. By collecting materials related to the Economic Council, economic plans formulated during this period will be examined in detail, with an emphasis on their philosophy, planning process, and implementation. In addition, those who were involved in the above-listed programs will be interviewed in the hope that the topic will be examined more in detail.
- Research Institute: NIRA [NIRA-conducted research]
- Research Term: May 2001 - March 2003
In recent years, both central and local governments have been required to promote administrative efficiency due to difficult financial conditions. Faced with an era of decentralization, local governments in particular have developed a strong interest in NPM.
To explore the effects of NPM and the problems it encounters in Japan, NIRA will conduct joint research with the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) in the United States, which has conducted a large number of case studies in this field and has a team of experienced researchers. Although the introduction of NPM has progressed in the United States, it has not shown the same effectiveness in Japan. This project will therefore attempt to clarify the limitations and problems of NPM as well as problems in Japanese systems and laws. It will also consider appropriate NPM approaches for Japan.
- Research Institute: NIRA
- [NIRA-conducted research]
Indonesia's politics, economy and society were seriously affected by the Asian currency crisis of 1997. In reviewing the effects of the crisis and making efforts to recover from it, the countries affected have once again recognized the importance of the social security issue. In particular, the necessity of a social safety net aimed at protecting the poor, society's most vulnerable group, has been clearly recognized. In Indonesia, however, various problems that may hinder the foundation of this safety net remain unresolved. These problems include the vulnerable financial foundations of the pre-crisis social security system, the influence of traditional community and family systems, and the necessity of establishing appropriate policies from a mid to long-term perspective. In addition, problems shared in common by all the countries in the region should be examined. Issues including preparations for the impact of globalization and measures to be taken in response to aging societies are of crucial importance.
The actual impact placed on Indonesia's health and medical care system by the economic crisis was analyzed in detail by means of a field survey, with special emphasis on nutrition and health and medical services. In addition, given the fact that the health insurance system will become the most important problem in the field of social security, an examination of this system was conducted and proposals were presented. How best to establish an effective social safety net in the field of health and medical care, and the role Japan can play in its establishment, was further examined, with a focus on the institution of partnerships among the countries of Southeast Asia.
- Research Institute: NIRA
- [NIRA-conducted Research]
"Culture" is created and changed depending partly on the social and political context of the age. Even as it is transmitted though, it is never frozen and fixed in a past form. In Japan, however, "culture" and "identity" have been often regarded as having an essential core that continues to exist without much change throughout history, so the relative uniqueness of the Japanese people and Japanese culture have consequently been overemphasized.
It is necessary now to reflect on such essential approaches to the concept of 'culture' and 'identity', which makes ignoring, excluding, or rejecting different cultures a source of national pride. What we would like to propose is a new approach to "identity that focuses on relational qualities," which assumes the existence of others as a precondition.
On the basis of the considerations outlined above, this research project took various perspectives on "culture" and "identity" and explored future prospects from a historical viewpoint, ranging from the formation of Japan as a nation-state to the present. The report consists of a general statement and three following sections: (1) "Japaneseness" and the nation-state; (2) "Culture" in a global society; and (3) The new notion of 'Japanese identity.'
- Research Institute: Institute of Community Planning
- [NIRA-commissioned Research]
This research project analyzed Japan's economy from various perspectives, including politics, economy, public opinion and the mass media, with a special focus on the formation and collapse of the bubble economy and the following long-term economic recession in the late 1980s.
The essentials of Japan's political and economic failures during the past two decades can be summarized as "changes in policies and systems that lacked total consistency" in the period of formation of the bubble economy, and "deferment of action by the public and private sectors" in dealing with bad loans after the collapse of the bubble economy.
The soil which produced such grand failures was a social structure peculiar to Japan, which may be termed the "1975 system." Specifically, this "system" includes behavior or systems which deal with organizational misconduct as part of a closed network, and emphasize unified values and ways of thinking based on personal connections.
Given the above-mentioned considerations, the following four points, among others, were indicated as long-term lessons: (1) the necessity of giving greater attention to figures and analyses; (2) improvement in politics and governance; (3) further development of conflict resolution methods and acceleration of judicial solutions; and (4) the re-examination of "national interests".
Moreover, the following five points, among others, were put forward as policy proposals and suggestions for systemic improvement: (1) immediate information disclosure; (2) transition from a prior discretion administration to an ex post facto check administration; (3) learning lessons from history and foreign experiences; (4) transition from vertically divided decentralization of power to transversal centralized policy making; and (5) the reexamination of regulatory frameworks.
[ NIRA Topics ]
New Executive Vice President
Dr. Yasuo Sawai
Dr. Sawai was born in 1944.
He graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo University, and joined the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1968.
After serving in various positions, such as Deputy Mayor of Funabashi City, Director of Policy Planning Division, Ministerial Secretariat (Ministry of Home Affairs), Deputy Governor of Okayama Prefecture and Deputy Director-General of the Fire Defense Agency, he became Executive Vice President of the Japan Foundation for Regional Art-Activities in 1998.
Dr. Sawai became Vice President of NIRA in April 2001.
He holds a Ph.D. in engineering.
"I entered the world of local administration intending to be an American-style city manager, and have been involved in tasks related to both the "hard" and "soft" aspects of the management of urban and regional areas. This is known as the era of globalization, and the movement towards decentralization is globally expanding. Even in Japan, gears are finally meshing toward the establishment of true local autonomy. In the future, I would like to address various domestic and foreign problems mainly in the fields of urban dynamics, local governance and cultural policy, while maintaining a focus on regional identities. I am looking forward to pursuing free and candid discussions concerning a wide variety of subjects at NIRA, a forum of exchange for researchers from Japan and around the world."
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