ABSTRACT
Advisory committees and giving scientific advice to MHLW are part of the “world of ideas”—a political universe. Their activities have implications for regulatory policymaking and reimbursement. These three topics are substantively distinctive, but they share a common feature. They fall under the responsibilities of MHLW; as the standard bearer of ultimate wisdom, MHLW makes the final decisions on issues that often are conflict-prone, involving MHLW and METI, MHLW and the Finance Ministry, MHLW officials and professionals, as well as Japanese and American regulators.
