Industry groups flush with subsidies return a portion of it to politicians as political contributions, and the politicians, in turn, keep the subsidies flowing in Japan. A splendid cycle, isn't it? Tax money morphs into politicians' campaign funds, and those same politicians decide how the next round of tax money gets spent. They call this "democracy." The public plays the role of providing the raw funds, without any say in the decision-making. What a well-crafted system.