Japan Documentation Center Newsletter
September 1995
Issue no. 2

JDC SYMPOSIUM A SUCCESS

The Japan Documentation Center (JDC) held its second annual symposium on April
24, 1995 at the Library with the theme "Japanese Public Policy: Perspectives and
Resources". The one-day symposium attracted over 200 participants from
throughout the country, and offered a unique opportunity to join in a discussion
of timely topics with experts and emerging Japan scholars.

In his welcoming remarks, Deputy Librarian of Congress Hiram L. Davis spoke to
the importance of U.S.-Japan affairs and stressed the need for Americans to
"have a solid understanding of how policy is formed in Japan and where to find
information." Speakers brought out differences (and similarities) in the ways
public policy is discussed and formulated in Japan, in comparison to the United
States.

Japan's International Relations
The morning sessions focused on Japan's security, trade and economic policies.
Sheila Smith (Boston University) sees that security cooperation with the U.S.
will continue to be central, even while new roles are being explored for Japan's
Self Defense Forces (SDF), especially in multinational settings. Michael Green
(Institute for Defense Analyses) explained that Japan's foreign policy emanates
from more than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, covering broad areas such as
foreign aid, technology transfer, energy development and multilateral finance,
thus forming what is called Japan's "comprehensive security."

The presentation by Robert Dekle (Federal Reserve Board of Governors) on
Japanese government policies and exchange rates was very timely, with the value
of the yen rising dramatically against the dollar in April and May. Equally
timely was Leonard Schoppa's (University of Virginia) analysis of the role of
outside pressure, or gaiatsu, on Japan's policy-making process.

The Bureaucracy Remains Central
The panel on the Japanese government's ministries and agencies sparked a lively
discussion. American researchers should know that expertise for developing
policy and shaping legislation really lies in Japan's bureaucracy. Ulrike
Schaede (University of California, San Diego) examined the roles and influence
of the "Old Boys," or retired government officials who join private sector
firms. Miranda Schreurs (University of Maryland) looked at how pressures of
internationalization and involvement by non- political groups are changing the
bureaucracy's traditional roles.

Masao Miyamoto (author) offered some keen insights into societal behavioral
patterns, particularly in the Japanese bureaucracy. Keith Henry (MIT Japan
Program) discussed how "third sector" organizations (comprised of private and
public sector participants) are crucial to both information creation and
dissemination. Participating in such networks is especially important for
emerging industries such as the micromachinery and space industries.

Other Actors in Shaping Policy
The afternoon sessions examined how trade associations and non-governmental
organizations, elected officials, and journalists shape public policy in Japan.
Japanese industry- based associations, Mark Tilton (Purdue University)
explained, do not lobby lawmakers as in the U.S., but instead serve to govern
markets informally through cartels. Hiroshi Ohta (Reischauer Institute for
Japanese Studies) observes that citizens' participation in the national policy-
making process in Japan remains limited; the private non- profit sector in Japan
as yet is underdeveloped.

Robert Tomkin (Democratic Study Group) and Christopher Redl (Johns Hopkins
University) each brought out some interesting comparisons between Japan's Diet
and the U.S. Congress. Tomkin stressed that the Diet committees have far less
power than Congressional committees and that Japan's legislature overall plays a
weak policy-making role. Redl explained that Japanese elected officials must
devote considerable efforts towards fundraising, given the small allowances for
travel, office space, and staff (typically 3 persons compared to 10-25 for
Congressional members). Moreover, under kankon sosai, an official must attend
numerous weddings, funerals, and holiday observations, all of which entail
monetary gifts to constituents.

The symposium closed with Kristin Kyoko Altman's (TV Asahi) discussion of
press-political relationships. The emergence of news talk television programs in
recent years brought about a media revolution, making image politics an
important medium for political discourse in Japan. Many believe such programs
influenced politics to the point of contributing to the end of the Liberal
Democratic Party's (LDP) 40 years of rule.

The JDC, with the cooperation of the Japan Information Access Project which
coordinated the symposium, provided each participant with the proceedings and
other materials. Anyone seeking to understand Japanese public policy will find
the proceedings, which include the papers and extensive bibliographies a useful
research tool.

The symposium proceedings may be purchased from the U.S. National Technical
Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road,
Springfield, VA 22161; (703) 487-4650, fax (703) 321-8547. NTIS Order No.
PB95-199063. Also available are the 1994 symposium proceedings, "Technical
Requirements for Accessing Japanese Information". NTIS Order No. PB94-127925.
The cost for each is $36.50.

ACTIVITIES AT JDC

Ichiko Morita, head of the JDC, has been actively promoting the Center in the
United States and internationally. This spring, she made presentations at the
"Access Japan On-line" conference (Seattle) and Association for Asian Studies
annual meeting (Washington, D.C.). In May, she traveled to Japan and gave
lectures at Okayama University and the National Diet Library, where audiences
expressed great interest in the Center's information management system, in
particular the storage and retrieval of Japanese information using optical disk
technology. JDC, along with the Japan Technology Program and the Japan
Information Access Project, will participate in an international forum on
Japanese information in Newcastle, United Kingdom, in September. (See Upcoming
Conferences.)

Library has Homepage on WWW
In addition to telnetting, users can now access information on the Library of
Congress through the World Wide Web. The URL for the Library's WWW Homepage is:
http://lcweb.loc.gov OR http://www.loc.gov

You can reach LC Marvel and the JDC file by either selecting "About the Library
and World Wide Web" or "LC Online Systems." (See also below, and follow steps
two to four.) The other categories on the Homepage menu are: Exhibits and
Events, Services and Publications, Digital Library Collections, Congress and
Government, and Indexes to Other World Wide Web Services.

A SPECIAL EXCHANGE ARRANGEMENT WITH THE
NATIONAL DIET LIBRARY

The Library of Congress has had a long, fruitful exchange relationship with its
Japanese counterpart, the National Diet Library (NDL). Starting in 1995,
procedures were modified, so that the JDC could identify and obtain materials
more efficiently.

Twice a month, a staff member from JDC's Tokyo Acquisitions Facility visits the
NDL's Library Cooperation Department to review and select items from among the
materials designated for LC. TAF then sends these to Washington, where they are
promptly added to the collection.

Below are samples of current, important materials supplied through exchange with
the National Diet Library.

White Papers, Annual Reports
1995: Health and Welfare, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Small
and Medium Enterprises, Labor, Official Development Assistance
1994: Science and Technology, Nuclear Energy, Summary of the White Paper on
Crime, (in English), International Trade (JETRO, in English), Education, Banking
and Finance, National Personnel Authority
1993: National Space Dev't. Agency

Legislation (English translations)
Broadcast Law
Telecommunications Business Law
Radio Law

Statistical Data
Japan's Statistics, 1995
Economic Indicators, 1994 (for retail,
manufacturing)
Consumer Price Index, 1994

ACCESSING THE JDC FILE ON THE INTERNET

The JDC document collection numbers over 800, and the bibliographic database is
accessible to the public on the Internet via LC MARVEL. From your office or home
computer, you can search for documents of interest to you and find out how to
get copies of materials.

To use Internet:
I. Connect to Marvel through a local Gopher client or Telnet.
a. Use a Gopher client: marvel.loc.gov, port 70 - or- Telnet: marvel.loc.gov
b. Then to login, type: marvel
II. Select: "Research and Reference (Public Services)" III. Select: "Reading
Rooms of the Library of Congress" IV. Select: "Japan Documentation Center"

UPCOMING CONFERENCES
Sept. 28-29 and Nov. 3-4. Workshops 2 and 3 on Japanese scientific and technical
information sponsored by the US- Japan Center and MCC. Contact Hisako Yamada at
the Univ. of New Mexico, e-mail: hyamada[atx]unm.edu

Nov. 2-3. Second International Conference on Grey Literature. Washington, D.C.
Contact GreyNet (The Netherlands) e-mail: Greynet[atx]inter.nl.net; URL:
gopher://gopher.konbib.nl/ll/.greynet/

Japan Documentation Center
JDC was established as a joint undertaking by the Library of Congress and the
Center for Global Partnership of the Japan
Foundation. JDC collects difficult-to-obtain materials from Japan relating to
policy
issues, and makes that information available to Congress and other users.
Reference
inquiries and requests for documents are welcome, and researchers may come to
the JDC office to use the reference and journal collections.
Library of Congress, Adams Building Room 130B, Washington, DC 20540-4745. (202)
707-5581; Fax (202) 707-9114; Internet jdc[atx]loc.gov

Issued by the Japan Documentation Center, Library of Congress
ISSN 1081-3691