Japanese Bureaucracy - Deja Vu?

Call me confused. I am supposed to be reading up on Japanese politics in the 1930s but how come I feel as if I am reading about contemporary Japan?

Robert M Spaulding Jr suggested in an article "The Bureaucracy as a Political Force, 1920-45" that some government ministers were virtually dispensable, and were only deemed useful when procuring for the ministry’s budget. Otherwise, they were treated like "something to be placed on the "hat-rack." Hmm. Doesn't that sound vaguely familiar?

Unsurprisingly, bureaucrats, especially outstanding ones, were seldom impressed by ministers, who were seen as partisan creatures.

But interestingly, a bureaucrat with extensive experience once noted that he does respect a few ministers, as these ministers "came to office without the sordid thought of personal gain". It was apparent that Yoshino Shinji "respected politicians who brought political strength to the ministry instead of trying to acquire strength from it (either politically or financially)."

Lest I went away with the impression that politicians were/are useless dispensable wimps subjected to the whims and fancies of the bureaucracy, it is good to know that the competition within the bureaucracy for advancement to better posts or higher rank gave the Cabinet some leverage in obtaining bureaucratic cooperation.