EDITORIAL: Bureaucratic reform
04/07/2008
Probably, nobody would dispute that the nation's bureaucracy is in desperate need of an overhaul. The system is riddled with serious problems, from corrupt and collusive ties with politicians and businesses and the bureaucratic sectionalism that places higher priority on the interests of ministries and agencies than on those of the nation.
Against this background, a government-drafted bill for bureaucratic reform is hugely disappointing. It amounts to no reform at all. Last year, the government drafted and rushed through new rules to restrict the practice known as amakudari--where elite bureaucrats land cushy post-retirement jobs in the industries they once regulated. The reform bill is designed as a follow-up measure. The government and the ruling coalition worked out the reform blueprint in response to recommendations from an advisory council set up by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
A high-profile battle was fought over the reform plan between Yoshimi Watanabe, the minister in charge of administrative reform, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura. Many lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party took sides in the battle, triggering a huge intra-party ruckus. As a compromise that emerged from the dust-up, the bill represents a giant step backward. (201 words)
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