Opposition Party Wins Japanese Elections

Japan's Democratic Party claimed victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections. The long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was toppled by the opposition Democratic Party, which won 308 out of the 480 seats in the House of Representatives, the larger of the two houses within Japan's legislature, the National Diet. The Democratic Party is led by Yukio Hatoyama, who will most likely be chosen for the position of prime minister in mid-September. See the Washington Post for an account of the election results.

Our country guide to Japan provides links to a number of government websites and related resources about this island nation, such as the following:

• Diet Functions, on the Japanese House of Representatives website, describes the functions of the National Diet.
• House of Councillors is the smaller of Japan's two parliamentary houses.
  
• Fundamental Structure of the Government of Japan summarizes the roles of the emperor, the diet, the cabinet, and the judiciary in Japan's government.
  
• Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress is a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report discussing diplomatic ties between the two nations.

GAO Reports This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week GAO investigated private pensions. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Report

Private Pensions: Alternative Approaches Could Address Retirement Risks Faced by Workers but Pose Trade-offs. GAO-09-642, July 24.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-642
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09642high.pdf

Cash for Clunkers Comes to a Close

The "Cash for Clunkers," or CARS, rebate program for fuel-efficient vehicles came to a close on Tuesday, August 25. In this "wildly successful" program, as this Department of Transportation press release dubs it, rebate applications worth $2.877 billion were submitted for the program. According to the release, the program will increase economic growth for the 3rd quarter, sustain increased GDP in the 4th quarter, and create or save 42,000 jobs. You can find official program statistics here.

We first blogged on the CARS program on July 23. CARS was extremely popular from the start, creating some cash-flow fears for auto dealers and quickly exhausting the funds allotted for it in the stimulus package (see this New York Time Topics article for details). This led Congress to quickly pass a bill providing another $2 billion for CARS rebates (H.R. 3435).

Need more resources? See our guide to economic stimulus information.

Federal Procurement Is Under Investigation

The House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is reviewing Army technology contracts that were awarded in a possibly inappropriate manner. Contracts awarded by the U.S. Army's Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) in 2005 and 2006 supposedly involved close personal relationships and sharing of confidential cost estimates between government officials and contractors. The investigation of CECOM contracts is part of the committee's larger investigation of the federal procurement system. You can read more about the House review in the Washington Post.

Who shapes policy regarding Federal contracts? The Office of Federal Procurement Policy, which is under the Office of Management and Budget. A database of government procurement information is maintained by the General Services Administration at FPDS.gov.

You can find additional resources about federal procurement in our guide.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on the defense, health care, tax havens, and other topics. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your senator or representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by OpenCRS:

• Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy
• Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa
• Air Force C-17 Aircraft Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress
• Air Force KC-X Tanker Aircraft Program: Background and Issues for Congress
• Chile: Political and Economic Conditions and U.S. Relations
• China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues
• China's Holdings of U.S. Securities: Implications for the U.S. Economy
• China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy
• Coast Guard Deepwater Program: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress
• Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress
• Costa Rica: Background and U.S. Relations
• Economic Downturns and Crime
• Federal Agency Emergency Preparedness and Dismissal of Employees
• Federal Domestic Illegal Drug Enforcement Efforts: Are They Working?
• Financial Regulation and Oversight: Latin American Financial Crises and Reform: Lessons from Chile
• Foreign Aid Reform: Studies and Recommendations
• Greenhouse Gas Legislation: Summary and Analysis of H.R. 2454 as Passed by the House of Representatives
• Gun Trafficking and the Southwest Border
• Hate Crime Legislation
• Health Care Reform: An Introduction
• Homosexuals and U.S. Military Policy: Current Issues
• Honduran-U.S. Relations
• Immigration: Policy Considerations Related to Guest Worker Programs
• Inherently Governmental Functions and Department of Defense Operations
• Intelligence Issues for Congress
• Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses
• Iraq: Former Regime Weapons Programs and Outstanding U.N. Issues
• Japan-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress
• Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program: Background, Status, and Issues
• Jordan: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues
• Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests
• Lebanon: Background and U.S. Relations
• Military Airlift: C-17 Program Background
• Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2010 Appropriations
• Navy Aegis Cruiser and Destroyer Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress
• Navy Attack Submarine Force-Level Goal and Procurement Rate: Background and Issues for Congress
• Navy DD(X) and LCS Ship Acquisition Programs: Oversight Issues and Options for Congress
• Nonproliferation and Threat Reduction Assistance: U.S. Programs in the Former Soviet Union
• Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer
• Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues
• Peacekeeping and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on Civilian Capabilities/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities
• Private Health Insurance Provisions of H.R. 3200
• Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests
• Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress
• Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Developments and Policy Implications
• Tajikistan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests
• The 2009 H1N1 "Swine Flu" Outbreak: An Overview
• The Changing U.S.-Japan Alliance: Implications for US Interests
• The Defense Base Act (DBA): The Federally Mandated Workers' Compensation System for Overseas Government Contractors
• The Federal Protective Service and Contract Security Guards: A Statutory History and Current Status
• The Marines Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV): Background and Issues for Congress
• The Military Commissions Act of 2006: Background and Proposed Amendments
• The OECD Initiative on Tax Havens
• The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program: Background and Current Developments
• The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009
• The U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women: (CEDAW): Issues in the U.S. Ratification Debate
• U.S. Trade and Investment Relationship with SubSaharan Africa: The African Growth and Opportunity Act and Beyond
• U.S.-Vietnam Relations in 2009: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy
• Uganda: Current Conditions and the Crisis in North Uganda
• United Nations Reform: U.S. Policy and International Perspectives
• Venezuela: Political Conditions and U.S. Policy

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports dating back to 1916.

Not on campus but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.