英字新聞

The Yomiuri Shimbun November 7, 2013
Civil servant system reform must serve national interests
公務員制度法案　「省益より国益」実現できるか（11月6日付・読売社説）

Reform of the civil servant system is intended to strengthen the leadership of the Prime Minister’s Office in the personnel affairs of bureaucrats. The ruling and opposition parties should discuss the matter thoroughly so the system will function properly.
　官僚人事における首相官邸主導を強化するための改革である。十分に機能するよう与野党は、議論を尽くすべきだ。

The government has submitted to the Diet a set of bills on national civil servant system reform. Its centerpiece is the establishment of a new “cabinet personnel affairs bureau” aimed at integrating the personnel affairs of about 600 senior officials, including administrative vice ministers, bureau chiefs and deputy directors general of the Cabinet Office and ministries.
　政府が、国家公務員制度改革関連法案を国会に提出した。各府省の次官、局長、審議官など幹部職員約６００人の人事を一元的に管理する「内閣人事局」の新設を柱としている。

The chief cabinet secretary will play the key role in examining the aptitude of senior civil servants and discuss appointments and dismissals with the prime minister and cabinet ministers.
　官房長官が中心になって幹部公務員の適格性審査を行い、その任免について首相、各閣僚とともに協議するという仕組みだ。

Under the new system, the personnel affairs of bureaucrats will be cross-sectional in the Cabinet Office and among ministries rather than vertically segmented. If the system takes root it will help rectify the harmful effect of Kasumigaseki, the country’s bureaucratic nerve center, which is said to place ministries’ interests above national interests. The Prime Minister’s Office has a point in pursuing strategic personnel arrangements in light of the changing times and dealing with immediate administrative tasks.
　縦割りではなく、府省横断的な人事を行う。この制度が定着すれば、「国益より省益重視」と言われる霞が関の弊害是正につながろう。官邸が、時代の変化や当面の行政課題を踏まえて、戦略的な人材配置を目指す狙いはわかる。

The question is whether it is possible to make fair and accurate judgments in personnel affairs based on the ability and accomplishments of bureaucrats. The number of civil servants subject to personnel affairs is enormous if the candidates for top official spots are included. Consideration must be given to concerns that personnel affairs carried out arbitrarily may become common.
　問題は、能力と実績に基づいて、公正かつ的確に人事を判断できるかどうか、という点だ。対象は、幹部候補者まで含めれば膨大な数に上る。恣意(しい)的な人事が横行しないか、との懸念にも配慮しなければならない。

During the coordination of opinions on the bills, discussions on how to treat the so-called class-based quota, a system under which the number of officials, or quota, is set for each classification based on salary levels, faced serious rough going. The Liberal Democratic Party and the National Personnel Authority strongly opposed a plan to transfer administrative work related to the class-based quota from the personnel authority to the envisaged cabinet personnel affairs bureau.
　法案の調整過程で、最も難航したのは、給与ランク別に定員を定める「級別定数」の扱いだった。この事務を人事院から内閣人事局に移す内容に、自民党や人事院は強く反発した。

No change in class-based quota

If the Cabinet, as an employer of civil servants, receives a demand from labor unions to determine the class-based quota, which is a major factor in deciding civil servants’ working conditions, it will be nothing less than de facto labor-management negotiations. The LDP and the personnel authority say this would please labor unions, as it would be a step toward granting basic labor rights to civil servants.
　使用者側の内閣が、勤務条件の要素である級別定数を決める目的で労働組合側から要求を聞けば、事実上の労使交渉となり、基本権付与への一歩前進と労組が喜ぶだけだ、といった主張だ。

After the discussions, lawmakers compromised and agreed to stipulate in the bills, “The personnel authority’s opinions will be fully respected.” Therefore, there will be no major changes in the class-based quota, with the personnel authority giving its opinion on the quota and the cabinet personnel affairs bureau deciding on it.
　議論の末、法案に「人事院の意見を十分に尊重する」と付記することで折り合った。人事院が級別定数について意見を言い、内閣人事局がそれを決定する。運用面では、大きな変化はあるまい。

It is unlikely the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will give civil servants basic labor rights, including the right to conclude labor agreements and the right to strike. Therefore, it is reasonable to create a new system giving consideration to the personnel authority, which has the function of compensating for restrictions on basic labor rights for civil servants.
　安倍政権は、公務員に協約締結権やスト権など労働基本権を付与しない方向だ。そうである以上、労働基本権制約の代償機能と位置付けられている人事院に配慮した仕組みとするのは妥当だろう。

The bills also incorporate a provision for creating the post of “assistant to minister”—up to six officials in the Cabinet Office, and one at the Reconstruction Agency and each ministry—“when it is particularly necessary.” Lawmakers and people from the private sector can be assigned to this post. These assistants will serve as government officials to strengthen politicians’ leadership.
　法案は、内閣府に６人以内、復興庁と各省に１人の「大臣補佐官」を「特に必要がある場合」に、置けることも盛り込んだ。国会議員や民間人を起用できる。政治主導を強める政務スタッフとなる。

However, the government must not appoint an excessive number of officials to this post. If it sets up the post, the government should explain why it needs it and determine what roles the ministerial assistants, senior vice ministers and parliamentary secretaries should play.
　だが、むやみにポストを増やしてはならない。設置するなら、必要性を明らかにし、副大臣、政務官との役割分担も図るべきだ。

The administration led by the Democratic Party of Japan emphasized “lawmaker-led politics,” demoralizing bureaucrats and causing confusion and stagnation in public administration. We urge the government to reflect on this as it tries to realize lawmaker-led politics.
　民主党政権は、「政治主導」を振りかざし、官僚の意欲をそいだ結果、行政の混乱と停滞を招いた。その反省も踏まえた政治主導を実現してもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 6, 2013)
（2013年11月6日01時32分 読売新聞）