Perspectives

Kan should seize the chance to shuffle bureaucracy to boost power

Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who once called bureaucrats "idiots," now flatters them by saying, "Bureaucrats are true professionals."

Even though his remarks about bureaucrats are inconsistent, he should not be blamed for that. In any case, there is no point in discussing whether bureaucrats are stupid or professionals.

The public is sick and tired of seeing the recent run of prime ministers resign after only serving for a short period of time. Kan should make good use of bureaucrats' expertise to steadily run the government.

To that end, what should he do?

"A personnel reshuffle," says Keio University professor Yoshihiro Katayama, who previously served as Tottori governor. "Since he has formed a new administration, he should drastically reshuffle the personnel. He doesn't have to transfer officials for disciplinary reasons, but if he promotes capable bureaucrats, then he will bolster his power."

Katayama is a former division director at the Home Affairs Ministry, which is now the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, and once served as secretary to the late former Home Affairs Minister Seiroku Kajiyama.

Bureaucrats see how capable their ministers are. If ministers are powerful and capable, bureaucrats follow them, and if the ministers are weak and incapable, bureaucrats defy them. It's also the case with company employees. Salaried workers tend to follow influential bosses who will determine their future.

Katayama, who fully understands central government bureaucrats' behavior, actually controlled bureaucrats at the Tottori Prefectural Government as governor, and made several achievements. He drastically reshuffled the personnel three months after he took office, and replaced almost all department managers a year later.

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)-led administration has so far failed to carry out such a drastic personnel reshuffle. The administrative vice minister for internal affairs and communications is the only top bureaucrat who has changed since the DPJ took over the reins of government nine months ago. Moreover, it was just part of a regular personnel reshuffle rather than an appointment made at the initiative of politicians.

Cabinet ministers, who are overly wary of bureaucrats, appear unprepared to control them.

In a magazine article, Katayama pointed to the advantages of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) legislators who acted in the interests of certain ministries or agencies when he referred to the DPJ government's response to the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

"If the LDP were in government, legislators who acted in the interests of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry would've immediately summoned bureaucrats in charge and given instructions on how to handle the matter," he wrote in an article in the July issue of "Sekai" ("World").

"Attention had been focused on only negative aspects involving such legislators. However, they had a function like an 'automatic driving gear' that urged bureaucrats to promptly respond to an emergency situation and to give instructions on subsequent countermeasures (even without the instructions of Cabinet ministers concerned)," he explained.

Needless to say, collusive relations between politicians and bureaucrats based on influence-peddling politics should be eliminated. Politicians and bureaucrats should rather be praised for working closely to tackle major national policy issues.

After the end of the current Diet session later this week, a major personnel reshuffle will be carried out at national government bodies. Close attention should be focused on whether the reshuffle will be just like an autonomous motion in the bureaucracy or politician-led personnel changes. (By Takao Yamada, Expert Senior Writer)

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