昨年度・今年度の2年計画の成果として、『法学研究』96巻3号に「近代日本の内閣制度改革と国務機関構想」を投稿し、掲載された。
これは、近代日本における内閣制度改革が実施される際に、権限を集中させてその時々の課題を解決しようとする国務機関構想を追った論文である。戦前期に内閣制のもとで実現した国務機関は、明治期の政務部と昭和期の企画院の二機関のみであった。
内閣制度発足当初は、太政官制のもとで設置された参事院を復活させようとするグループが構想し、憲法制定作業までその動きは継続したが、成案には至らず、第一次松方内閣期に情報統制のための政務部がいったん実現するが二重権力から閣内対立を生み、挫折した。その後、第二次伊藤内閣が議会に行政改革を約束したにもかかわらず縦割りの各省官僚の抵抗により政費節減が困難となると、奥田義人法制局長官が大胆な行政改革案を練り上げた（奥田案）。そこでは参事院の復活を当初考えたが、それ以上の権限をもつ完全な統一機関を構想するに至った。参事院を超える権限とは大蔵省の予算編成権限であり、これを押さえないと行政改革は実現できないと考えられたのである。しかし、奥田が期待した第一次桂内閣では各省からの奥田案への反対が強く実現できなかった。
また、政党側は政務調査を通じて政策形成能力を培い、やがては議会審議前に政府が事前に予算や法案を政党に開示するに至り、政策実現能力を獲得した。この点については、科研費グループ内で発表を行い、2023年5月の日本選挙学会で口頭発表を行う予定である。
As a result of the two-year plan for the last fiscal year and this fiscal year, "Reform of the Cabinet System and the Concept of State Agency in the Modern Japan" was submitted and published in the Journal of Law Studies, Vol. 96, No. 3.
This paper follows the concept of State Agency that concentrates authority and solves the problems of the time when the cabinet system reform in modern Japan is implemented. In the prewar period, only two state agency were realized under the cabinet system: the Political Affairs Department "Seimu-bu", in the Meiji period and the Planning Institute "Kikaku-in" in the the Showa period.
At the beginning of the cabinet system, a group envisioned reviving the House of Councillors "Sanji-in" established under the Dajokan bureaucracy, and the movement continued until the constitution was drafted, but it was not finalized, and the political affairs department "Seimu-bu" for information control was realized once during the first Matsukata cabinet, but the dual power caused a cabinet conflict and was frustrated.
Later, despite the promises of administrative reform by the second Ito cabinet to the parliament, when it became difficult to reduce political expenses due to resistance from vertically divided bureaucrats of various ministries, Yoshito Okuda, director of the Legislation Bureau "Housei-kyoku", devised a bold administrative reform plan (Okuda plan). It initially envisioned the revival of the House of Councillors "Sanji-in", but came to envision a fully unified body with more powers. The authority beyond that of the House of Councillors "Sanji-in" was the budgeting authority of the Ministry of Finance "Okura-syou", and it was thought that administrative reform could not be realized without this authority. However, in the first Katsura cabinet, which Okuda had hoped for, there was strong opposition to Okuda's plan from various ministries, and it could not be realized.
In addition, political parties cultivated policy-making capabilities through political affairs research, and eventually the government disclosed budgets and bills to political parties in advance before parliamentary deliberations, and acquired the ability to implement policies. We plan to make a presentation on this point within the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Group and make an oral presentation at the Japan Association of Electoral Studies in May 2023.