Attempts and Challenges of EvidenceBased Policy Making in Japan
So Morikawa, Department of Civil Engineering, Univ. ofTokyo & SciREX Center, National Graduate Institute for
Policy Studies
July 23, 2018
25th World Congress of Political Science, Brisbane11-1. Backgroundadditional function of e-Government• New trends in technologies and policies are giving
additional values and potentials to the quest for
efficient government.
• E-government: An old and new example• Basic Act on the Formation of an Advanced Information
and Telecommunications Network Society (2001)• e-Japan Strategy, e-Japan Strategy II and New IT Reform
Strategy aiming to stimulate usage of Information andCommunication Technology (ICT) in public sectors.

• E-government is prospective not only in improving
government-society relationship, but also achieving
efficient policy making by gathering data efficiently.
21-1. Background
EBPM and data accumulation• Evidence-Based Policy Making (EBPM) is a different
concept from e-Government and has developedand evolved in independent manners.
However,• Realization of e-government make it easier for thegovernment to accumulate data on administrative
process at work, pubic satisfaction with the services,and so on, which could be a strong base of EBPM.
• Meanwhile, EBPM is sharing the common goal withe-government: Both aim to achieve higher
transparency and accountability of the government.
31-2. Research Question• Although tightly related, EBPM was separatelyargued and left behind the counterpart.
• The term EBPM appears for the first time in the 2017
edition of Basic Policies for Economic and Fiscal
Management and Reform (Honebuto no hōshin), whichis the basic policies for economic and fiscal management
published every year.

• How have EBPM attempts made in Japan and what
are the challenges of EBPM introduction in Japan?
• Special attentions are paid to whether and how EBPM
practices are different between central and local levels
and considers the challenges for both types ofgovernments.
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2. Literature Review• Utilization of academic research• They are often referred under the names of researchutilization or knowledge utilization, and the observed
gap between academics and practices is sometimes
explained by the “two communities” framework(Newman et al. 2016).

• But academic research is not the only sources ofevidence the government utilize.
• Kay (2011) four modes of rationality that EBPM practices
base according to the degree of ambiguity/conflict overgoals and the degree of uncertainty over process.
• “Policy-Based Evidence Making” as a critic?
52. Literature Review• Typology of evidence/perspective especially relevant in
the modern era (Head 2008) :• systematic research (‘scientific’), program management
experience (‘practice’), and political judgement.
• Lee (2015) effectively use the three lenses to study thedevelopment of wind industry in UK and Spain.

• “In most countries empirical data on just about every
aspect of the actual policy analytical practices followedby bureaucratic policy analysts in government arelacking” (Howlett and Newman 2010)• Data gathering practices are much less explored.
63. EBPM and Data Utilization in Japan
3.1 EBPM Initiatives at Central Level• Initiatives: 2017 Basic Policies for Economic and Fiscal
Management and Reform (Honebuto no hōshin),• Characteristic of the initiative on the central
government level: Administrative and statistical
reforms were discussed together.
• e.g.1. Prior to the Honebu to no hōshin of 2017, the Cabinet
Secretariat organized a “Study Group on the Economic
Statistical Challenges for Meeting EBPM Needs” in October–December 2016. ->Basic Policies for Statistical Reform.

• Development and utilization of government statistics
make up a crucial element in EBPM promotion in Japan.
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3. EBPM and Data Utilization in Japan
3.1 EBPM Initiatives at Central Level• Viewpoints in Trial Inspections in November 2017
• Three “Model Projects” were selected for the trial
inspections.
• One of the comments: “It is essential to record, preserve,
and make publicly available information that enables thechecking of the basis for decisions on assumptions andoperational choices. Moreover, […] it is necessary to firstconsider what should be gathered and design a projectthat sufficiently facilitates the collection.”• EBPM in the central government is characterized byquestions about how to accumulate and utilize data
inside the government, as a prerequisite of EBPM.
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3. EBPM and Data Utilization in Japan
3.2 EBPM Initiatives at Local Level• Chiba City: initiatives promoted under the banner ofopen government• actively working to introduce EBPM into their policies.
• in 2014, Chiba’s department in charge of public relations
started a report system called Chiba Report System, which isan initiative similar to Fix My Street from Britain, wherecitizens can report trouble with public facilities online.
• The System was constructed not only for public relations: Inaddition to existing citizen reports, they will use images takenwith in-vehicle smartphones to check road conditions.

• EBPM at local level aims to gather data from citizens’
everyday activities and apply it for work purposes.
93. EBPM and Data Utilization in Japan
3.2 EBPM Initiatives at Local Level• Osaka City: led by ICT Strategy Office establishedunder Mayer Toru Hashimoto’s leadership• worked together with several partners, analyzed driving
data from the partners’ cars, and identified locations in
the city with high accident risks on a “near-miss map.”• Developed a mobile application on their own to make iteasier for foreigners to communicate with the fire
department.

• Their context that pays attention to interfaces forexchanges between society and information can be
an effective resource for pioneering EBPM.
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4. Analysis of the Challenges
4.1 Two Separate Spheres(Internal: within the government)
1.Integrating and accumulating
administrative information
2.Improving policy formation process(External: with the society)1.Collecting information from society
2.Disseminating information in Society

CentralLocal

X

X(Osaka)

X
X
X

The central government is concerned with integrating andaccumulating information held by the authorities as well as improving
the policy formation process. By contrast, at the regional level, theconcern is how to collect and utilize information from the citizens.
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4. Analysis of the Challenges
4.1 Two Separate Spheres• Just reflecting the distance between government
authority and citizens/society?
• The separation of the spheres is especially striking inJapan on the level of “perception”.
• Central Level: Despite the existence of offices inside theCabinet Secretariat, which could engage in social informationcollection and utilization similar to that seen in local
governments, there has been very little in the EBPM debate
so far touching on the possibility of such data utilization.
-> Narrowly defined possible data sources for EBPM
• Local Level: It is rarely treated as a resource for “policyformation.”-> Low awareness of operation department12

4.1 Analysis of the Challenges
4.2 Lack of Connection with Policy
Management• Something seem to be missing from both: connections
with concrete administrative policy management.
• Both levels of the governments have plenty ofopportunities to obtain information within existing
policies as well as incentivize citizens to supply
information, but they have not made the most of them.
• National ID system is not used effectively for administrative
management or EBPM.
• Information useful for policy formation at local level isaccumulated through everyday operations, while citizens thelarge amount of paperwork is not replaced by ICT so far.

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5. Conclusion• We presented examples of EBPM initiatives that makeup the beginnings of such efforts in Japan, and lookedat both the central government and the regionalgovernment levels.
• Data utilization in EBPM and administration in Japan
has come to be divided into two spheres. Theseinterests align with the differences between central andregional government.
• What is needed for the governments in Japan tointegrate the directions pursued by each one, while
there is also a need for them to give more thought tothe data collected during policy management as well as
the opportunities for further incentivizing citizens tosupply information.
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