Japan's new government gags civil servants

[Sinestra]

After assuming power on Wed the LDP comes out swinging and the first to get hit with the bat are the "Civil Servants" talk about taking a bureaucracy hit.

TOKYO - JAPANESE civil servants are now barred from giving press conferences or associating with politicians under unprecedented guidelines introduced by a new government determined to whittle down the bureaucracy's influence.

Reining in civil servants is one of the watchwords of the new coalition government led by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) which assumed power on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after his election, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said: 'We will create a government in which the politicians will take the lead and utilise the excellent capabilities of the bureaucrats.'

He is seeking to focus power within the Prime Minister's Office where a National Strategy Bureau will be established to oversee the drafting of the national Budget and to control policymaking.

Under past governments led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the bureaucracy often dominated policymaking, turning politicians into rubber stamps.

Administrative vice-ministers (equivalent to Singapore's permanent secretaries) held regular press conferences to comment on government policy.

It was also routine practice for civil servants to approach influential politicians informally for inputs or support.

Under the new guidelines, only elected officials such as the minister or deputy minister will give press conferences and civil servants can interact only with ministers or junior ministers.

If civil servants meet other politicians or their representatives, the contents of those meetings will have to be recorded and made available for public inspection.

Another blow to the bureaucracy's ego is Mr Hatoyama's decision to stop administrative vice-ministers from holding regular meetings to decide Cabinet agenda.

The Straits Times.

[Ryzorian]

That makes sense in a way, it's much easier to drive a car with one steering wheel rather than two.

[TalnSG]

I work for state government - nearly the equivalent of a civil servant - and that is standard policy. No one talks to the media. Any media contact is directed to the official press office. Most governments are that way. Press officers and elected officials are the voice. Civil servants are there to do the job they are hired for, not provide public commentary.

That does not prohibit my voicing my opinion on other aspects of that government, just the one I work in. That would be a security breach and a breach of faith.