This Handbook focuses on Japan’s public administration and bureaucracy at its national level, and the effects of national politics on administrative decision-making and outcomes. It also provides in-depth analysis and description of the Japanese politics–civil service relationship. As the Japanese government is relatively centralized, an understanding of its national-level public administration is vital to comprehending the nature of Japanese bureaucracy. This handbook is divided into four parts: the history of Japanese bureaucracy; the bureaucratic system and underlining laws, rules, and regulations; the relationship between politics and the legislative process; and bureaucracy in practice in the 12 major ministries. It will make an important contribution to studies on politics and governance in Japan, and will become essential reading for scholars in both their research and teaching.

Mieko Nakabayashi is Professor of Political Science at Waseda University. She received her PhD in International Public Policy from Osaka University and her Master’s degree in Political Science from Washington State University. She served as an elected member of Japan’s House of Representatives from 2009 to 2012 and as a professional staff member of the US Senate Budget Committee between 1993 and 2002. Her latest books include Declining American Hegemony (Shogakukan-shinsho, 2020; in Japanese) among others. Her research interests are international public policies and politics in the US and Japan.

Hideaki Tanaka is Professor of the Graduate School of Governance Studies, Meiji University. He completed his MSc in Social Policy and Planning at the London School of Economics and Political Science and his Doctor of Policy Studies at the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies. He worked in the Ministry of Finance, Cabinet Office, and other Japanese ministries between 1985 and 2012. His research interest includes public finance. His major publications in English are The Democratic Party of Japan in Power (co-author, 2017, Routledge) and Policy Analysis in Japan (co-author, 2015, Policy Press).

Introduction:
The Institutional Landscape of Japanese Politics and Public Administration (Mieko Nakabayashi);
Part 1: History of Japanese Bureaucracy:
1. The Modern Bureaucracy (Yuichiro Shimizu and Andrew Levidis);
2. Post War and Showa (Akiko Izumo); Part 2: System, Underlying Laws and Rules/Regulations:
3. The General Structure of Japanese Bureaucracy and Administrative Jurisdiction under the Current Law (Tsuyoshi Yoshimuta);
4. Employment Process and System: Merit System and Competitive Examination (Hideki Goda);
5. Ethics and Regulations (Hideki Goda);
6. Careers after Retirement (Masashi Nakano); Part 3: Relationship with Politics and the Legislative Process:
7. Legislation and Politics: A Key Public Policy Tool under Changing Governance (Masahiro Mogaki);
8. Bureaucracy in the Japanese Legislative Branch (Shu Kajita);
9. Japan’s Political and Administrative Reforms and Governance after the 1990s (Hideaki Tanaka);
10. Changing Relationship between Politics and Bureaucracy (Hiroko SHIMADA Logie);
11. Japanese Bureaucracy from a Comparative Perspective: Case Studies in Political Control over the Civil Service (Shannon Granville);
Part 4: Bureaucracy in Practice: Latest Examples and Issues for Each Ministry:
12. Cabinet Secretariat and Office (Masaaki Kawagoe);
13. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) (Tadafumi Kageyama, Shunsuke Kimura, and Masahiro Mogaki);
14. The National Police Agency and the Police System (Yoshiki Kobayashi); 1
5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) (Takashi Sekiyama);
16 . Fiscal Consolidation and The Ministry of Finance (MOF); (Hideaki Tanaka);
17. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) (Robert Aspinall and John McLaughlin);
18. Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) (Masashi Nakano);
19. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) (Takumi Sakuyama);
20. Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI); (Akira Kawamoto);
21. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) (Yoshiyuki Miyoshi and Sarah Watson);
22. Ministry of the Environment (MOE) (Masami Tsuji);
23. Ministry of Defense (MoD) (Junjiro Shida); 24 Conclusion: The Past and Future of Japanese Public Administration and Bureaucracy (Mieko Nakabayashi)