Amakudari - Amakudari

After retirement, national civil servants re-employ in private companies or independent administrative agencies that have close ties to the ministry or agency they were employed at. Promotion management for national civil servants can be likened to the shape of chess pieces. So-called career civil servants who joined each ministry or agency at the same time and are candidates for executive positions are generally promoted to section chief positions at the same time around the age of 40, but after that the number of promotion posts becomes narrower, and those who accept voluntary retirement go outside. The outside positions are independent administrative agencies, special corporations, etc. that have close ties to the ministry or agency they were employed at, or private companies, and this is known as amakudari. Repeating this amakudari is known as watari, and as such, these people have received large retirement benefits each time they re-employed, and this practice has come under strong criticism.

In 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan came to power, pledging to "eliminate amakudari," and a cabinet meeting decided to completely ban amakudari facilitation, with legal measures being put in place, such as the unification of post-retirement management. In addition, because reducing amakudari would result in incumbent employees staying in the company, the number of national civil servants hired in fiscal 2011 was reduced (a 40% reduction from the number actually hired in fiscal 2009).

A similar problem exists for local government employees, but dealing with it is left to the discretion of the local government.

[Tsujiyama Yukinori]

Masashi Nakano, Research on Amakudari: Clarifying its Reality and Mechanisms (Akashi Shoten, 2009)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

国家公務員が退職後、在職していた府省と関係の深い民間企業や独立行政法人等に再就職すること。国家公務員の昇進管理は将棋の駒(こま)の形にたとえられる。府省庁別に同期入職した幹部候補の、いわゆるキャリア公務員は、おおむね40歳くらいで課長職まで同時昇進するが、その後昇進ポストは狭まり、勧奨退職に応じた者は外部へ出る。外部とは在職していた府省の関係の深い独立行政法人、特殊法人等や民間企業で、これが天下りである。この天下りを繰り返すのが「渡り」であり、再就職先を退職するたびに高額の退職金を受け取ってきたもので、こうした慣行が強い批判にさらされた。

　2009年（平成21）に「天下りの根絶」を公約した民主党を中心とする政権が発足、閣議で天下りあっせんを全面禁止することが決定され、退職後管理の一元化等、法整備が進められている。また、天下りの縮小は在職者の滞留となるため、2011年度の国家公務員採用数を削減した（2009年度採用実績数の4割減）。

　なお、地方公務員についても同様の問題があるが、対応は自治体に任されている。

［辻山幸宣］

『中野雅至著『天下りの研究――その実態とメカニズムの解明』（2009・明石書店）』

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