There has been a good deal of criticism of both Hatoyama and Kan for their tendency while PM to make statements about policy without consultation with colleagues. As you may have noticed, this tendency for 'policy-making on the hoof' has now been manifested by the new Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare, Komiyama Yoko, who in her initial press conference as minister expressed the view that the tax on tobacco should be raised significantly for health reasons, apparently without any consultation with colleagues.
Not surprisingly, other cabinet members - notably the Finance Minister, Azumi Jun, who is actually responsible for tax - have been slapping her down with statements that this is just her personal opinion. The impression is again given that the DPJ government is disorganized and uncoordinated. I am currently watching MBS's 'Asazuba' programme, which shows a big article in one of the sports newspapers about a 'battle' between Komiyama and Azumi. One of the guests commented that while Komiyama may hold this view - she is apparently well-known for her long-standing opposition to smoking
- she should be aware of her position as a minister.
It's hard to disagree. I find it quite amazing that DPJ ministers don't seem to have learned anything from the travails of Hatoyama and Kan. The Blair years in the UK were marked by tight coordination of ministerial statements and control of information to the press, to the extent that there was considerable criticism of the excesses of 'spin'. Fair enough; still, one cannot help feeling that the DPJ could do with learning something from the Blair government in this respect. I wonder what mechanisms, if any, the DPJ has for trying to ensure that its ministers don't stray too far 'off-message'. They don't seem very evident.

Peter Cave
Lecturer in Japanese Studies
SLLC, University of Manchester