Top > What's up around the Prime Minister > December, 2004

The Seventeenth Meeting of the Headquarters for Administrative Reform Friday, December 24, 2004 The Seventeenth Meeting of the Headquarters for Administrative Reform was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. The meeting compiled the following two items: (i) a review of the incorporated administrative agencies, for which the period to attain the mid-term goals will conclude by the end of FY2005; and (ii) policy for administrative reform to be advanced. Regarding the review of the incorporated administrative agencies, the proposed review was approved on the condition that the agencies in question and their presiding ministers concretely advance a review in line with the direction of the recommendations from the Committee for Policy Evaluation and Incorporated Administrative Agency Evaluation and the intent of their opinions. In addition, in regard to the policy for administrative reform to be advanced, a reform policy was compiled consisting of eight items, including streamlining the government and government-related organizations and promoting administrative efficiency. In concluding the meeting, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said, "Given the current severe fiscal situation, we must maintain a rein on and further strive to promote administrative reform. From this perspective, the "Policy for Administrative Reform to be Advanced" compiled today, aiming to thoroughly advance administrative reform, incorporated the reform items that should continue to be implemented, such as streamlining and improving the efficiency of administrative organizations, abolishing and merging incorporated administrative agencies and shifting status of employees at theses agencies to non-civil servants. The boldest and most effective administrative reform is the privatization of the postal services, and therefore I would like the government to take a united approach in tackling this issue."