Vice Ministers Involved in Amakudari

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, or MEXT, released on Thursday the final report on its illegal recommendations of its officers to colleges or other private sectors, which was broadly known as amakudari in Japanese language. The report found that three Vice Ministers, the position which was on the top of bureaucratic pyramid in the ministry, had been involved in the parachuting of 62 retired or in-active bureaucrats. Guaranteeing reemployment after retirement, Japan is called the heaven for bureaucrats.

According to the report, MEXT started organized recommendation of the officers after revised National Public Service Act prohibited public workers in active to be involved in reemployment of bureaucrats in 2008. There were two routes for the recommendation. One was through a retired officer, named Kazuo Shimanuki, and another was coordination by former Director of Personnel Division, Yoko Fujie. The report proved that Shimanuki route was firstly established in 2008 and then, Personnel Division was involved in the system as early as 2010.

Shimanuki recommended MEXT officers to colleges or corporations, receiving information of reemployment from MEXT. Fujie coordinated reemployments of the officers in other Ministries: an officer with Ministry for Foreign Affairs to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and another with Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to Niigata University.

The involvement of three Vice Ministers was surprising enough. Kiyoshi Shimizu was involved in two reemployments in 2011, including recommendation of a retired bureaucrat to Tamagawa University. Shin-ichi Yamanaka, currently the Ambassador to Bulgaria, dealt with four reemployments, including an offer of MEXT officer’s information to Kansei Gakuin University. Kihei Maekawa was involved in seven cases of recommendation to university or private company.

In the policy of university reforming, universities seriously need information of the policy coordinated by MEXT. That was why some universities accepted MEXT officers. It can be said that bureaucrats took advantage of those demands for their reemployment. There were illegal connections between MEXT and universities or other private sectors.

Ordinary businessmen in Japan have to research corporations to work for after their retirement by themselves. Bureaucrats in Japan possess too much information as experts in specific policy to eliminate amakudari. Disclosure of policy-making process would be crucial to let private sector independent on bureaucracy.