- TOP
- ＞Administrative Management Bureau(AMB)
Managing its organization and personnel limits
The administrative organization and total number of personnel require that the organization be controlled to prevent overexpanding, and that an efficient business system be secured, capable of responding to changes in administrative demand.
For that reason, the AMB carries out a series of head count rationalization programs and examines its organization and total number of personnel, thereby building up a simple and efficient administrative organization, and optimizing its numbers of personnel and placements.
Regarding the number of personnel for the central government, the AMB steadily carries out its head count rationalization programs while conducting "strict head count management" that strictly limits increases in personnel, and conducts bold and structural reviews regarding specific clerical operations and projects, thereby striving to achieve cuts of at least 5.7% (at least 19,000 employees) in the five years from fiscal 2006.
Streamlining administration and increasing its efficiency
In order to appropriately handle urgent challenges to be addressed by administration in such a severe financial situation, it is vital to realize a "lean yet compassionate government" that can adapt to changing circumstances in an economic society.
Under these circumstances, in order to streamline the ministries and agencies and their operations, and make them more efficient thorough reviews of all operations including at Local Branch Offices and operations concerning IT introduction as per the Administrative Reforms Law, the AMB summarizes its efforts on an annual basis, embodied through an examination of the administrative organization and staff size in the form of "Streamlining and Efficiency Enhancement Policy."
Reviewing independent administrative agencies
Incorporated administrative agencies are incorporated with a corporate personality, independently from the central government, in order to separate the planning and drafting function for policies from the implementation function, and make the implementing departments more efficient and better in quality (100 corporations as of April 2009).
In collaboration with related establishments, the AMB received cabinet decision in December 2007 on " The Reorganization and Rationalization Plan for Incorporated Administrative Agencies" that consist of drastic reviews on incorporated administrative agencies, including a reduction of the existing 101 corporations to 85 corporations through elimination and consolidation, and a reduction of 156.9 billion yen in financial expenditures. In these plans, reviews of such cross-cutting items as (1) a shift of about 70% (0.7 trillion yen) of 1 trillion yen in noncompetitive negotiated contracts to general competitive bidding, (2) review of assets owned by incorporated administrative agencies, and (3) clarification and visualization of relations with related corporations have been determined for improving the efficiency and autonomy of operations by incorporated
administrative agencies.
Promoting e-government
The central government is implementing various programs based on "e-Government Promotion Plan" (formulated in August 2006 and partly revised in December 2008) to increase citizen's convenience and make administrative management simpler and more efficient.
About 13,000 (about 94%) applications and notifications handled by the central government have been made online byMarch 2007. In order to drastically expand online use, the central government set up the "Action Plan for Expanding Online Use" in September 2008 for 71 widely used procedures for expanding the benefits of online use and improving usability. The government is also focusing its efforts on promoting online use by citizens through such means as advertising and the broad deployment of e-government, monitoring opinions and requests, and realizing one-stop services utilizing the Government Portal site "e-Gov"
Regarding all Business Processes and Systems of the Government, plans for optimizing (i.e., streamlining, rationalizing) 86 areas were formulated. Concerning the procurement of information systems by the central government based on the "Basic Policy for Public Procurement of Information Systems" (determined in March 2007), detailed efforts toward reducing costs and enhancing the transparency of procurement procedures including the implementation of phased procurement will be aggressively promoted.
E-government will be further promoted and its evaluation system enhanced and stepped up by implementing the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) cycle for optimization, and conducting strict assessments including from the viewpoint of cost-effectiveness by the "e-Government Evaluation Committee" consisting of knowledgeable outside persons.
Promoting information disclosure
The "Act on Access to Information Held by Administrative Organs" (enforced on April 1, 2001) and the "Act on Access to Information Held by Independent Administrative Agencies" (enforced on October 1, 2002) stipulate the right to claim disclosure of documents owned by administrative agencies, independent administrative agencies, and other establishments (all the independent administrative agencies, along with special and certified corporations considered to constitute part of the central government) in order to make the central government exercise its full accountability to the citizens. These laws are thus important laws to ensure an administration open to citizens. The MIC ensures that both laws are implemented appropriately and smoothly.
Note that the number of disclosure claims received at administrative agencies in fiscal 2007 was about 61,000, while the number of disclosure claims received at independent administrative agencies totaled about 5,800.
Protecting personal information
To ensure that administration is performed appropriately and smoothly and to protect the rights and profits of individuals, two laws have been in force since April 1, 2005: the "Act on Protection of Personal Information Held by Administrative Organs" and the "Act on Protection of Private Information Held by Independent Administrative Agencies."
The two laws set basic rules for administrative agencies to handle private information by limiting the ownership of private information, clarifying its purposes of use, limiting its use and provision, and ensuring its accuracy and security. In addition, these laws provide for a mechanism for the principal's interference as insurance for these rules, in the form of rights to claim disclosure, correction, and use suspension, along with others.
The MIC ensures that both laws are implemented appropriately and smoothly.
Advancing a guarantee of fairness and progress towards transparency in administrative operations
The "Administrative Procedure Act" stipulates common rules for dispositions upon applications, adverse dispositions, administrative guidance, notifications, and public comment procedure when determining "Administrative Orders, etc." In order to advance a guarantee of fairness and progress towards transparency in administrative operations, efforts are being made in carrying out thorough purpose of the Act.
The "Administrative Appeal Act," provides a procedure for protecting the rights and interests of citizens, which is under drastic
revision.
Revision of the Administrative Appeal Act
The administrative appeal system intends to restore the rights and benefits of citizens, and assure appropriate administrative operations by reviewing any illegal or unjustified dispositions made by an administrative government
agency through simple and prompt procedures.
In order to help restore the rights and benefits of citizens, the AMB has submitted a bill to amend the whole of the Administrative Appeal Act to the Diet (the 169th ordinary session).
The revised Act will aim to realize a more fair, simple and prompt administrative appeal system by (1) unifying the types of appeals and proceedings, (2) introducing proceedings to third-party judges, (3) introducing consultative proceedings to the administrative appeal screening panel, and (4) setting a standard period for proceedings.