The myriad proposals floating around are short on realistic solutions but big on buzzwords like deregulation, transparency, information disclosure, and accountability. Public policy in Japan is largely conceived and executed by a very few select and highly elite individuals. In this important sense, Japan's political realities are shaped by what many refer to as an insider's game in which the creation and management of rules are monopolized by a small number of dominant bureaucrats and leaders of business associations. The buzzwords currently in vogue present large-scale problems for these dominant insiders. Deregulation demands that the few dominant insiders for the most part give up their privileges.
Accountability demands disclosure and explanation of the process of decision making.
The game is characterized by two principal phenomena. Entrancism Under the current system, entrepreneurs trying to start commercial activities must pay absurdly high costs to join the ranks of established business. With the exception of these newcomers, no one is expected to obey the established rules. Many rules exist for the sole purpose of discouraging new competition. To open a liquor store, for example, a license must be purchased.