ABSTRACT
All states exercise some degree of control over the societies they govern; all societies in turn exercise certain influences over state actions. What differentiates the absolute totalitarian political system from the liberal-pluralist is the relative weight of these two competing influences. A number of factors point to the close ties between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the civil service. LDP Diet members, and particularly cabinet ministers, are increasingly drawn from the ranks of retired bureaucrats. One of the most significant bureaucratic influences on Japanese policymaking is almost invisible. The bureaucracy exerts tremendous influence over the multitude of advisory committees that winnow multiple possible approaches to a problem down to manageable proportions and tangible proposals. Closely related to the situation of advisory committees and the closed nature of the initial policymaking process has been the comparative decline in the formal delegation of policymaking responsibilities to nongovernmental groups.
