Wataru Aso, governor of Fukuoka and head of the National Governors Association KYODO PHOTO

Each prefectural government will produce a progress schedule based on the guidelines, and will announce the extent of its progress every year. The association will request that municipal governments throughout the nation introduce similar steps.

All local governments need to come up with effective systems to reform the public procurement process. In the guidelines, the association suggests that the central government draft legislation to prohibit retired local public servants from becoming employees at companies they supervised while working in government. Measures proposed by the association alone will not lead to drastic reforms. The Internal Affairs Ministry must thoroughly examine the legal systems with an eye to stopping corruption by governors and mayors.

The Diet recently passed a law to promote decentralization, and fresh debates are due to start soon on how much authority the central government should hand over to local governments.

If local government heads become embroiled in corruption through use of these new powers, it would lead to mistrust of local administrations by the residents they are supposed to serve. Such a situation would put the brakes on decentralization.

The Japan Times Weekly: Dec. 23, 2006
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