I think this happened during a brief period where the DPJ came into power. There were some kind of hearings and Renho would sit across from the minister of each ministry, look at how much they spent the previous year and ask them where the money went. I don’t remember anyone being able to give a straight answer. I’m assuming they had campaigned on a platform of government fiscal responsibility which is what led to it happening. I was also under the impression that it led to big cuts in the budget for the JET Program, which used to cover a lot of its teachers’ rent expenses.
The reason I bring it up is because I was just thinking about how Japan could really use that right now. It’s all fun and games if you’re earning foreign currency from within Japan at the moment, but really it’s hard to deny that there’s a recession and it could affect anyone at any moment. Would cutting government spending fix it? Not alone, probably not. But if people in congress woke up tomorrow and their salaries had dropped by half, they might take it a bit more seriously. The LDP has been in power ever since and it doesn’t seem like the quality of life here has improved over the years.
by shimasterc