Abstract
This study stresses the importance of institutional design and analysis. The paper first addresses the important aspects of risk governance which are the continuous internal/external review process; the consideration of how the principles of governance are embedded; The need for evidence based policy making and the importance of the governance of governance (meta-governance). It then reviewes the institutional changes over the past ten years of Japanese food safety governance. Finally, it explores the possible factors that should to be taken into account in the future food safety governance system in terms of (1) the institutional design - how the food chain approach and the relationship between risk assessment and risk management is institutionalized and how the meta-governance perspective is ensured, and (2) the decision making process - the importance of moving towards cycle/spiral gevernance model away from the traditional linear model, together with the need for a more evidence-based decision making by embedding regulatory impact assessment and joint fact-finding in the system.
