Administrative reform - gyoseikaikaku

Japanese: 行政改革 - ぎょうせいかいかく

Changes or the process for changing the administrative organization and operations of the national and local governments, as well as administrative functions. In Japan, administrative reforms that have been implemented include the reorganization of government ministries and agencies, the consolidation and reorganization of bureaus, sections and offices, the reorganization of local branch offices, the reorganization of councils, financial reform, civil service reform, and the establishment of laws regarding the streamlining of administrative procedures and the disclosure of administrative information, as well as deregulation, privatization and decentralization as changes to administrative functions. Sometimes administrative reform in the narrow sense refers only to changes related to administrative organizations (not including the civil service system).

[Kengo Yamada July 19, 2017]

From the Postwar Reforms to the First Provisional Commission

After the Second World War, the government was reformed and reorganized as part of the postwar reforms. This was part of the democratization of government, which was accompanied by the transition from the Meiji Constitution (Constitution of the Empire of Japan) to the Constitution of Japan, and the shift from the principles of constitutional monarchy, such as the sovereignty of the Emperor, to principles such as popular sovereignty, respect for basic human rights, pacifism, and local autonomy. Military administrative organizations such as the Ministry of the Army and the Ministry of the Navy were abolished, and the Ministry of the Interior was dissolved, while the Ministry of Labor and Administrative Commissions were established.

Following these postwar reforms, councils for administrative reform were established, and the Provisional Administrative Reform Council was established in 1948 (Showa 23) based on the Provisional Administrative Reform Council Order. Subsequently, the Administrative Reform Council (Cabinet decision) was established in 1949, the Cabinet Order Revision Advisory Committee (a private advisory body to then Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru) in 1951, and the First to Fifth Administrative Councils (based on Article 6 of the Administrative Management Agency Establishment Act) were established from 1952 to 1959. Based on the recommendations for administrative reform during this period, the government reorganized the central government ministries and agencies, such as establishing the Administrative Management Agency, abolishing the Economic Stabilization Board to establish the Economic Deliberation Agency, and integrating the Local Autonomy Agency and the National Fire and Disaster Management Agency to establish the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as reducing administrative committees, streamlining councils, and reducing the number of employees at administrative agencies.

In 1961, the First Provisional Administrative Reform Commission (First Provisional Commission, Chairman: Sato Kiichiro) was temporarily established as an attached institution to the Prime Minister's Office to serve as an important advisory body for administrative reform, based on the Provisional Administrative Reform Commission Establishment Act (1961-1964). In September 1964, the First Provisional Commission submitted a general report and 16 specific reform proposals. Based on six "administrative reform concepts" including strengthening the overall coordination function of administration and thoroughly democratizing administration, the Commission did not limit itself to simple organizational reform, but presented comprehensive reform issues and reform suggestions regarding the organization and operation of administration as a whole, such as the reallocation of affairs and the enactment of the Administrative Procedure Act. However, most of these suggestions were never implemented.

[Kengo Yamada July 19, 2017]

From the Second Provisional Commission on Administrative Reform to the Decentralization Promotion Committee

In order to avoid the financial crisis that began with the so-called "oil shock" of 1973, the Second Provisional Administrative Reform Commission (Chairman: Doko Toshio) was established in 1981 under the Provisional Administrative Reform Commission Establishment Act. Between July 1981 and July 1983, the Commission submitted five reports, proposing administrative reforms that would leverage "fiscal reconstruction without tax increases." Overall, these reports listed "the construction of a vibrant welfare society" and "active contribution to international society" as the two major goals that the administration should aim for, and their main content was the downsizing of the public sector (introduction of private sector vitality, a form of deregulation) and reform of structures and functions with the aim of strengthening the overall coordination and planning and coordination functions of the administration. Following the recommendations of the Second Provisional Commission on Administrative Reform, various measures were implemented, including the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation (NTT), and Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation, the reorganization and streamlining of special public corporations, the establishment of internal departments and bureaus, etc., which were matters of law but were matters of government ordinance, the reorganization and streamlining of licensing procedures, and the establishment of the Management and Coordination Agency (merging the Administrative Management Agency and the Prime Minister's Office Headquarters).

In 1983, when the Second Provisional Commission on Administrative Reform submitted its final report and was dissolved, the Provisional Council for Administrative Reform Promotion (Gyokai Reform Council) was established under the Provisional Council for Administrative Reform Promotion Establishment Act as an organization for promoting and monitoring administrative reform based on the Second Provisional Commission's reports. The First, Second and Third Administrative Reform Councils were established until October 1993. The Administrative Reform Councils consistently positioned the promotion of deregulation as the main issue of administrative reform. The First Administrative Reform Council published a "Report on Measures to Promote Administrative Reform," and based on this, the Law on the Consolidation and Rationalization of Regulations Concerning Permits, Authorizations, and Other Private Activities was enacted in 1985, which contained the consolidation and rationalization of 42 types of licenses and permits. Following the final report of the Third Administrative Reform Council (1993), 171 types of licenses and permits were also consolidated and rationalized. In addition, the Third Administrative Reform Council recommended the enactment of the Administrative Procedure Act in its "Report on the Establishment of Fair and Transparent Administrative Procedure Legislation" (1991), and the Administrative Procedure Act was enacted in 1995.

The final report of the Third Administrative Reform Council recommended a "shift from government leadership to private autonomy" as well as the "promotion of local autonomy." In subsequent administrative reforms, achieving this, along with deregulation, was given an important position in "reviewing the role of the government sector."

After the dissolution of the Third Administrative Reform Council, the Administrative Reform Promotion Headquarters, headed by the Prime Minister, was established by Cabinet decision in January 1994 to actively promote administrative reform, and in December of the same year, the Administrative Reform Committee (chairman: Iida Yotaro, 1920-2002) was established in the Prime Minister's Office as a third-party organization based on the Administrative Reform Committee Establishment Act to improve the system for monitoring the promotion of administrative reform (1994-1997). In 1995, the Administrative Reform Committee called for the enactment of an information disclosure law in its "Opinions on the Establishment of Information Disclosure Legislation," with the Information Disclosure Law as its core (the Information Disclosure Law was enacted in 1999), and also formulated a deregulation promotion plan. The committee was dissolved in December 1997 after submitting its final report on the promotion of deregulation and the nature of administrative involvement that would reconsider the scope of administrative responsibility.

In 1995, the Decentralization Promotion Act was enacted, and based on this act, the Decentralization Promotion Committee (chairman: Moroi Ken, 1928-2006) was established in the Prime Minister's Office. The committee was established in response to the Third Administrative Reform Council's final report, which recommended the establishment of a system for promoting decentralization, including the enactment of a Basic Law on Decentralization. In addition to an interim report, the committee published its first through fifth recommendations and a final report. In response to these, a Decentralization Promotion Plan was drawn up, and in 1999, the Omnibus Decentralization Act was enacted, which included the abolition of agency delegated affairs and rules on national involvement (First Decentralization Reform).

[Kengo Yamada July 19, 2017]

After the Administrative Reform Council

The Administrative Reform Council (chairman: Hashimoto Ryutaro), established in 1996 based on the Cabinet Secretariat Organization Order, published its final report in 1997, which covered strengthening the functions of the Cabinet, the new structure of ministries and agencies, the downsizing (outsourcing) and streamlining of administrative functions, and reform of the civil service system (hereafter referred to as "central government reform"). In 1998, the Basic Law for Reform of Central Government Ministries and Agencies was enacted, setting out the basic structure of the reform of central government ministries and agencies. In 2001, in line with the spirit of the law, the Ministries and Agencies Establishment Law and Cabinet Office Establishment Law were enacted, which reorganized the system into one agency and 12 ministries. In 1999, the General Law for Independent Administrative Agencies was enacted, which aimed to streamline administration and reduce the total number of civil servants, and 57 corporations were established in 2001. In addition, the postal service was converted into a public corporation in 2003, and Japan Post Public Corporation was established.

The Koizumi Junichiro administration used the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, which was established to strengthen the Cabinet's functions in the reform of central government ministries and agencies (pursuant to Article 12, Clause 6 of the Basic Law for Reform of Central Government Ministries and Agencies), to advance administrative reform through political leadership. The administrative reform under the Koizumi administration aimed to achieve a "small and efficient government," placing importance on the perspectives of "from public to private" and "from national to local," and followed the theory of purifying national functions as outlined in the Administrative Reform Council's final report. Specifically, the administration implemented the privatization of the Japan Highway Public Corporation and Japan Post, the introduction of the Special Zones for Structural Reform system, government financial reform and special account reform, the introduction of marketization tests (Public Service Reform Law), the reduction and abolition of national subsidies, and the Trinity Reform, which included a review of the local allocation system and the transfer of tax sources to local governments.

Under the Democratic Party administration (2009-2012), the Administrative Revitalization Council was established in 2009 with the aim of reviewing the national budget, systems, and other aspects of national administration in general, as well as the roles of the national government, local governments, and the private sector. The Administrative Revitalization Council reviewed and abolished the operations of independent administrative agencies and special accounts.

The Shinzo Abe administration (2013-) established the Administrative Reform Promotion Headquarters by cabinet decision in 2013, and the Administrative Reform Promotion Council under it. The Administrative Reform Promotion Council published the "Basic Policy on Independent Administrative Agency Reform, etc." In response to this, the Independent Administrative Agency General Law was amended to strengthen governance according to the characteristics of the work of independent administrative agencies. In addition, administrative business reviews are being carried out by each ministry and agency to inspect and review all national businesses. The Regulatory Reform Council, which was abolished under the Democratic Party administration, was re-established in 2013 based on the Cabinet Office Headquarters Organization Order. The Regulatory Reform Council proposed the creation of a selective medical care system, and also published "Opinions on Agricultural Reform" (2014), which included a review of agricultural committees, the abolition of the central association system, and a review of agricultural cooperatives, such as the conversion of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (Zen-Noh) into a joint-stock company. The Regulatory Reform Council's term of establishment expired in 2016, so a new Regulatory Reform Promotion Council was established. Since the Decentralization Reform Promotion Act was enacted in 2006, reforms have been implemented to transfer administrative duties and authority from the national government to local governments, and to review the obligations and frameworks imposed on local governments (the second decentralization reform).

[Kengo Yamada July 19, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

国や地方公共団体の行政組織および運営ならびに行政機能の改変または改変のための過程。日本では、行政組織・運営に関係するものとして、省庁再編、部局・課・室の整理統合、地方支分部局の整理、審議会の整理、財政改革、公務員制度改革、行政手続の適正化や行政情報の公開に関する法整備などが、行政機能に関係するものとして、規制緩和、民営化や地方分権などが行政改革として実施されてきた。行政組織（公務員制度を含まない）に関する改変のみを狭義の行政改革ということがある。

［山田健吾　2017年7月19日］

戦後改革から第一次臨調まで

第二次世界大戦後、戦後改革として行政組織の改革・再編成が行われた。すなわち、明治憲法（大日本帝国憲法）から日本国憲法への転換、天皇主権に代表される立憲君主制のもとでの諸原理から、国民主権・基本的人権の尊重・平和主義・地方自治などの原理への転換に伴う、いわゆる行政の民主化の一環として、陸軍省・海軍省などの軍事行政機構の廃止や内務省の解体が行われ、他方で労働省や行政委員会が設置された。

　この戦後改革に引き続き、行政改革のための審議会が設置されることとなり、1948年（昭和23）に臨時行政機構改革審議会が臨時行政機構改革審議会令に基づき設置された。その後、1949年に行政機構刷新審議会（閣議決定）、1951年に政令改正諮問委員会（当時の内閣総理大臣吉田茂(よしだしげる)の私的諮問機関）、1952年～1959年まで第一次～第五次行政審議会（根拠法令は行政管理庁設置法6条）が設置された。この間の行政改革の提言に基づき、行政管理庁の新設、経済安定本部を廃止して経済審議庁を設置、地方自治庁および国家消防本部を統合して自治省を設置するなどの中央省庁再編、行政委員会の削減、審議会の整理や行政機関の職員の定数削減などが実施された。

　1961年には、第一次臨時行政調査会（第一次臨調。会長・佐藤喜一郎(きいちろう)）が、臨時行政調査会設置法に基づき、行政改革のための重要な諮問機関にあたる総理府の付属機関として臨時的に設置された（1961年～1964年）。第一次臨調は1964年9月に総論と16項目の具体的な改革案を答申。行政の総合調整機能の強化をはじめ、行政における民主化の徹底などの6点にわたる「行政改革の考え方」から、単に機構改革にとどめず、事務の再配分や行政手続法の制定など、行政の組織や運営全般について総合的な改革課題や改革意見を示した。しかし、これらの意見はほとんど実現されることがなかった。

［山田健吾　2017年7月19日］

第二次臨調、行革審から地方分権推進委員会まで

1973年のいわゆる「オイル・ショック」に端を発した財政危機の回避を契機として、1981年に、第二次臨時行政調査会（第二次臨調。会長・土光敏夫(どこうとしお)）が、臨時行政調査会設置法に基づき設置された。同調査会は、1981年7月～1983年7月にかけて、5次にわたる答申を提出し、「増税なき財政再建」をてことする行政改革案を示した。これらの答申は、全体として、行政の目ざすべき二大目標として「活力ある福祉社会の建設」と「国際社会に対する積極的貢献」をあげつつ、公的部門の縮小（民間活力の導入、いわゆるディレギュレーションderegulationとよばれる規制緩和）や行政の総合調整機能・企画調整機能の強化を目的とする機構および作用の改革がその主たる内容となっている。日本国有鉄道（国鉄）、日本電信電話公社（電電公社）および日本専売公社の民営化や特殊法人等の整理合理化、内部部局の設置等を法律事項から政令事項化、許認可手続の整理合理化、総務庁の設置（行政管理庁と総理府本庁を統合）などが第二次臨調の答申を受けて実施された。

　第二次臨調が最終答申を提出して解散した1983年に、第二次臨調の諸答申に基づく行政改革の推進と監視のための機関として、臨時行政改革推進審議会（行革審）が臨時行政改革推進審議会設置法に基づき設けられた。行革審は、1993年（平成5）10月まで、第一次行革審、第二次行革審および第三次行革審が設置された。行革審は一貫して規制緩和の推進を行政改革の主要な課題として位置づけていた。第一次行革審が「行政改革の推進方策に関する答申」を公表し、これに基づき42項目の許認可の整理合理化を内容とする許可、認可等の民間活動に係る規制の整理および合理化に関する法律が1985年に成立した。第三次行革審の最終答申（1993）を受けて171項目の許認可の整理合理化も実施された。また、第三次行革審は「公正・透明な行政手続法制の整備に関する答申」（1991）において行政手続法制定を提言し、1995年に行政手続法が制定されている。

　第三次行革審の最終答申では、「官主導から民自律への転換」とともに「地方分権の推進」も提言され、これ以降の行政改革において、規制緩和とともにこの実現が「政府部門の役割の見直し」のために重要な位置づけを与えられることになった。

　第三次行革審の解散後、1994年1月には内閣に行政改革の積極的な推進のため内閣総理大臣を本部長とする行政改革推進本部が閣議決定により設置され、同年12月には行政改革の推進監視体制の整備を図るため、行政改革委員会設置法に基づき行政改革委員会（会長・飯田庸太郎(いいだようたろう)、1920―2002）が第三者機関として総理府に設置された（1994年～1997年）。行政改革委員会は、1995年に、情報公開法要綱案を柱として「情報公開法制の確立に関する意見」において情報公開法の制定を求め（情報公開法は1999年に制定）、また、規制緩和推進計画を策定した。同委員会は、1997年12月に規制緩和の推進と行政の守備範囲を見直す行政関与のあり方を内容とする最終答申を提出して解散した。

　1995年に地方分権推進法が制定され、同法に基づき総理府に地方分権推進委員会（委員長・諸井虔(もろいけん)、1928―2006）が設置された。第三次行革審の最終答申が地方分権基本法の制定を含む地方分権の推進体制を整備することを提言したことを受けて設置されたものである。同委員会は、中間報告に加え、第一次から第五次までの勧告および最終報告を公表した。これらを受けて地方分権推進計画が策定され、機関委任事務の廃止や国の関与に関するルールなどを内容とする地方分権一括法が1999年に制定された（第一次地方分権改革）。

［山田健吾　2017年7月19日］

行政改革会議以降

1996年に総理府本府組織令に基づき設置された行政改革会議（会長・橋本龍太郎(はしもとりゅうたろう)）は、内閣機能の強化、新たな省庁のあり方、行政機能の減量化（アウトソーシング）・効率化等および公務員制度改革等（以下「中央省庁等改革」）を内容とする最終答申を1997年に公表した。1998年に中央省庁改革基本法が制定され、中央省庁等改革の基本的あり方が定められた。2001年（平成13）に、同法の趣旨に沿って、1府12省に再編する各省庁設置法や内閣府設置法が成立した。また、行政の効率化と公務員の総数の削減をねらいとした独立行政法人通則法が1999年に制定され、2001年に57法人が設立された。このほかに、2003年には郵政事業の公社化がなされ、日本郵政公社が設立された。

　小泉純一郎(こいずみじゅんいちろう)政権は、中央省庁等改革において内閣機能を強化するために設置された経済財政諮問会議（中央省庁等改革基本法12条6項による）を活用し政治主導で行政改革を進めた。小泉政権における行政改革は、「小さくて効率的な政府」を目的として掲げ、「官から民へ」、「国から地方へ」という観点を重要視するものであり、行政改革会議最終報告に示された国の機能の純化論を踏襲するものであった。具体的には、道路公団・郵政民営化、構造改革特区制度の導入、政府金融改革や特別会計改革、市場化テストの導入（公共サービス改革法）や国庫補助金の縮減・廃止、地方交付制度の見直しと地方への税源移譲を内容とする三位一体改革などが実施された。

　民主党政権下（2009年～2012年）では、2009年に、国の予算・制度、その他国の行政全般や国、地方公共団体および民間の役割のあり方の見直しを行うことを目的とし、行政刷新会議が設置された。行政刷新会議では独立行政法人や特別会計等の事業内容について見直しや廃止が行われた。

　安倍晋三(あべしんぞう)政権（2013年～）は、2013年に閣議決定により行政改革推進本部を設け、その下に行政改革推進会議を設置した。行政改革推進会議は、「独立行政法人改革等に関する基本的な方針」を公表した。これを受けて、独立行政法人の業務の特性に応じたガバナンス（統治）の強化等を内容とする独立行政法人通則法改正がなされた。このほかに、国のすべての事業について各府省が点検・見直しを行う行政事業レビューが実施されている。民主党政権下で廃止された規制改革会議が、2013年に、内閣府本府組織令に基づきふたたび設置された。規制改革会議は、選択療養制度の創設を提言し、また、農業委員会の見直し、中央会制度の廃止や全国農業協同組合連合会（全農）の株式会社化など農業協同組合の見直しを含む「農業改革に関する意見」を公表している（2014）。規制改革会議は2016年に設置期限が切れたため、新たに規制改革推進会議が設置された。2006年に地方分権改革推進法が制定されて以降、現在に至るまで、国から地方への事務や権限移譲、地方公共団体に対する義務づけや枠づけの見直しのための改革が実施されている（第二次地方分権改革）。

［山田健吾　2017年7月19日］