Polishing Prospective Politicians

[2triky]

Japan school seeks solutions to leadership gulf
Sun May 10, 2009 9:23pm EDT

By Chisa Fujioka

CHIGASAKI, Japan (Reuters) - In a small room filled with the scent of incense, seven young Japanese men meditate, facing the wall in silence as birds chirp softly outside.

The meditation is part of their training at an institute that grooms political leaders in Japan -- where many say a stream of unpopular premiers and ineffective politicians has clouded the outlook for a country in its worst recession since World War Two.

Experts say Japan must lure more of its best talent into politics, although not all are convinced that schools such as the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management alone can remedy the shortage of strong leaders.

At the same time, calls are growing for influential political families to stop handing power from one generation to the next, a tradition that stifles potential leaders without connections.

For Shinichi Tomioka, a 32-year-old doctor, the institute is a step toward a political career and his goal of reforming Japan's medical system after the frustrations he encountered working in an understaffed Tokyo hospital for five years.

"I felt guilty at first, wanting to deal with the problems in the medical system and yet quitting my job as a doctor," he said after changing into a suit following a morning of meditation.

"But there was a limit to what could be done in the field. To face the problems in the system as Japan's elderly population grows, I thought change was needed from a broader standpoint."

While the recession is the immediate headache facing Japan, perhaps the biggest long-term challenge is reforming policy to deal with Japan's shrinking and fast-aging population.

There is also the dilemma posed by the rapid rise of sometimes rival China and how to beef up Japan's lightweight role in international diplomacy.

Founded in 1979 by the late Konosuke Matsushita, who set up an electronics firm now called Panasonic, the Matsushita Institute in Chigasaki near Tokyo has trained more than 200 students.

Nearly 70 of its alumni are politicians, including two who have served as cabinet ministers and one who was briefly leader of the main opposition party.
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