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Japan: Reform Bill Gets Bogged Down |
| Source: |
yomiuri.co.jp |
| Source Date: |
Thursday, February 02, 2012 |
| Focus: |
Knowledge Management in Government
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| Country: |
Japan |
| Created: |
Feb 07, 2012 |
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The Democratic Party of Japan is in a bind over whether an administrative reform bill it plans to submit should specify a 20 percent cut in overall personnel costs of central government officials.
Although the ruling party trumpeted the 20 percent figure in its election manifesto, some DPJ members are dreading the thought of being grilled in the Diet by opposition lawmakers over what many believe to be an unrealistic reduction target.
The DPJ hoped to make the 20 percent cut a centerpiece of its efforts to build public support for a plan to increase the consumption tax rate.
The DPJ initially planned to draw up the outline of the bill, including the basic principles of the administrative reform and numerical targets, by the end of January and submit it during the current Diet session.
However, the DPJ's research committee on administrative reform on Jan. 31 decided to postpone compiling the outline because the government and the party have yet to agree on the 20 percent figure.
Committee Chairman Masaharu Nakagawa met with Deputy Prime Minister Katsuya Okada at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday. According to government sources, Nakagawa told Okada that many party members felt strongly that the bill should stipulate a numerical target. However, Okada was reluctant to make such a commitment.
"We must have a creditable vision [before setting the goal]," the sources quoted Okada as saying.
Okada's hesitation on this issue marks a turnaround. When he was DPJ president several years ago, Okada suggested the party's manifesto for the 2005 House of Representatives election include a call for a 20 percent cut in personnel costs.
Okada's newfound caution apparently comes from the fact that the DPJ has been unable to meet many of the targets listed in its manifesto for the 2009 lower house election.
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Japan: Reform Bill Gets Bogged Down The Democratic Party of Japan is in a bind over whether an administrative reform bill it plans to submit should specify a 20 percent cut in overall personnel costs of central government officials
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