In the fourth, reorganization phase of reforms that took place in the 1990s, central
government departments were reorganized into one cabinet office and twelve ministries and
agencies. It was only then that the major decentralization of government really began.
A Reform Model
Administrative reform is based on four factors, namely, driving forces, the political system,
the administrative system, and the interface of the political and administrative systems. This
breakdown is a revision of that of Christopher Pollitt and Geert Bouckaert (2000, 26), which
addresses general factors affecting reform in ten countries, mainly in Europe and not including
Japan.
In the case of Japan, the driving forces factor has two components. The first is a
socioeconomic element that involves systemic change and is influenced by globalization, the
aging society, economic recession, and regional economic disparity. The second is a political
element that involves reform and is influenced by pressure from citizens and the media to
rectify mismanagement and instances of malfeasance as well as bad policy.