Late prime minister Shinzo Abe left an important mark on Japanese political history. He exercised strong leadership over traditionally independent-minded bureaucrats, though the outcomes of his top-down policy renewals varied. How does Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s leadership compare?
Kishida’s leadership is a return to the traditional patterns of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) prime ministers who respect collaboration with the bureaucracy, making his policymaking incremental and colorless. Those who admire Abe’s forceful style will find Kishida’s consensus orientation unsatisfactory. Kishida’s failure to perceive a quietly progressing breakdown of the bureaucracy is detrimental to Japanese politics.
