Clerks may profit from reforms

TOKYO: Drastic reforms in Japan's public servant management system -- which has been accused of suffering from institutional fatigue -- are inevitable if the realignment of central government bodies is to bear fruit.

Changes in the mentality and ethical behavior of public servants, which are mired in precedent and lack a sense of mission, are especially urgent.

The government administrative reform promotion headquarters has finalized the outline of reforms of its public servant management policy.

The outline presents the reforms from both the perspective of "human resources" and "organization."

Currently, the National Personnel Authority has the power to set salaries and decide on the number of officials.

The outline's main point, however, is that such powers should be transferred to each ministry and agency so that each government body is able to freely set salary levels and handle personnel affairs within the framework of its overall personnel budget and the number of officials it is allowed to employ.

The purpose of the transfer of such powers is said to be the creation of a personnel system based on reward and punishment, with the flexibility to deal with changes, and the ability to promote exchange between the public and private sectors.

Nonetheless, many problematic points remain. One is the possibility that the bureaucrats of each ministry and agency will seek to use the reforms to their own advantage.

In the new policy presented in the outline, the cabinet minister at the head of each government body will be designated as the official in charge of that body's personnel affairs. This means, in theory, that politicians will be handling bureaucratic personnel matters.

In reality, however, it is impossible for a cabinet minister to properly manage a vast staff with a precise grasp of each official's abilities and performance.

This is especially true when the frequency of changes of ministers and senior vice ministers in today's political climate is taken into account.

Thus, it is feared that a bureaucrat-led personnel management may become dominant as career officials take advantage of the new system.

It is also possible that restrictions on amakudari -- the practice in which former government officials are given cushy posts in private or semipublic organizations -- will be eased, undoing the recent beefing up of restrictions.

Currently, public servants are prohibited, in principle, from taking posts at companies closely connected with the government body the official served in for the five years prior to his or her departure. A bureaucrat who subsequently wishes to work for such a company must also obtain approval from the National Personnel Authority.

However, the outline's new policy will eliminate the need for the authority's approval and instead the public servant only will need the approval of the minister heading the government body that previously employed the official.

But, it is quite impossible for a cabinet minister to check the appropriateness of and make a decision on each application. Instead, the actual approval will probably left up to working- level officials.

Another concern is the government's plan to consider granting labor rights -- such as the right to strike -- to public servants.

Taxpayers foot the bill for public servants' salaries, meaning that their employer -- the government -- does not face the possibility of bankruptcy. Thus, it will be difficult to put the brakes on labor demands. Under such circumstances, especially when the public service nature of bureaucrats jobs is taken into account, it is not desirable to grant them the same labor rights as their private-sector counterparts.

A blueprint of the revision of the nation's public servant personnel management policy will be compiled around June. Until then, we urge the government to carefully consider its plans.

-- The Yomiuri Shimbun