[War] Japan: "A Balanced Start"

[Ian Martell]

“A Balanced Start”
Prime Minister Shunichi Sato
Japan
October 17th 2006

Sato was beginning to think that the twin matters of North Korea and Article 
9 were going to dominate this month and so was pleased to see that Secretary 
Ishikawa had found his way onto his schedule. They had exchanged e-mails and 
phone calls over the last couple of weeks getting a feel for each other’s 
views on what the goal should be in managing the civil service and had found 
themselves closely allied.

Today, was the first sit down of what would doubtlessly many on the subject 
between Ishikawa and his staff and Sato and his.

The Minister’s people filed into the PM’s meeting room as the golden longer 
arm of Sato’s wrist watch hit the six. Three-thirty on the mark, impressive, 
Sato thought.

He stood and bowed extending his hand. “Secretary,” he greeted formally.

“Prime Minister,” Ishikawa said. “This is my executive assistant Mr. 
Nagumo,” he said indicating a younger man in a reserved suit to his left. 
“And you know Mr. Soyakawa, head of the Cabinet Office.”

“A pleasure to see you as always, Hayashi,” he said to the Cabinet Office 
man. “Nagumo-san,” he greeted the other man with a nod.

“You of course know, Keiichi, the Director of my office, and Akira my 
Special Advisor on Legislative Affairs.”

They all exchanged bows and meishi (buisness cards) and then sat down around 
the circular table.

“Well,” Sato said. “Lets get started.”

“Yes,” Ishikawa agreed and took a folder from his assistant and handed it to 
Akira who handed it to Sato.

“This is what the Cabinet Office has proposed for downsizing the civil 
service.”

Sato opened the folder and looked over the numbers. He was surprised; they 
weren’t as aggressive as those he had discussed earlier with the secretary.

“Interesting,” he said without much enthusiasm, pausing to take out his 
reading glasses. “This seems to suggest this would take place over the next 
five years instead of the next year.”

Ishikawa nodded. “Yes,” he said. “The Office feels we cannot push to hard on 
this matter or we will lose the support of the civil service, it could be 
counter-productive to our future legislation.”
Sato nodded and slid his attention to Soyakawa who nodded imperceptibly, he 
looked back to Ishikawa.

“I see,” Sato said.

The conversation slid into a very polite but otherwise pointless discussion 
of the figures in the plan, taking up half of the one hour block of time 
given this issue today.

Sato signalled Mura with a prearranged sign.

Mura stood up. “Please forgive me Secretary,” he said. “But the Prime 
Minister has a phone call he must make quickly then return.”

The Secretary nodded. “I understand,” he said.

Sato nodded and got up buttoning up his suit.

“It is with Minister Kanzaki, perhaps you would like to say hello?” he 
offered.

Ishikawa nodded. “Of course.”

The two politicians left the room and Mura sat back down to speak one on one 
with Soyakawa.

Inside the Prime Minister’s office Ishikawa bowed deeply.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Sato said as he went to the sideboard and poured both of 
them a single of scotch. “So I take it our plans are meeting resistance from 
the civil service?”

Ishikawa nodded. “They are. They have threatened me with slowing down our 
legislative process. Can they really do that?” he asked.

Sato nodded. “And do so often,” he said. “The civil service is almost a law 
unto it’s self.”

“So how do we accomplish the downsizing?”

“We,” he said indicating the both of them. “Do nothing, Mura will speak with 
Soyakawa and they will provide a compromise.”

“And this is what governing is?” Ishikawa asked.

Sato nodded. “Yes, disappointed?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Ishikawa. “I had somehow thought I might shape events.”
“A common mistake,” Sato joked, then smiled sympathetically. “In truth you 
still can but not by decree you must build consensus and have the support of 
the right people to do shape things properly.”

Ishikawa nodded and downed his scotch. “Not what I expected. It is funny 
that I should be in politics for most of my adult life but still so new to 
how things are actually done. So what do you expect they will agree to?”

“If Mura’s worth what I pay him, a year long review of the redundancies in 
the civil service and another year to phase out those positions.”

Ishikawa sighed. “So much for controlling the budget.”

“My plan, has taken into account the resistance of our civil service. But 
really with the upcoming dip in the working population, they will need to 
streamline or be critically understaffed in running things as they are and 
the private sector can use the people we will let go.”

“And the older ones?” Ishikawa asked.

“Let them retire early with full pension, that’s less money than we pay them 
to sit at their desks and wait out the clock.”

Ishikawa nodded. “I see,” he said but Sato doubted that he did.

He sighed. “It takes time to learn the balance between the powers at work on 
our government.”

There was a knock on the meeting room door. Keeping to the illusion, Sato 
picked the phone up off his desk and put his hand over the receiver. “Come 
in,” he called. “Yes, yes this all fine, I will speak to you later.”

He hung up as Mura came in. “Prime Minister, we’ve found some new numbers 
you and the Secretary may want to look at.”

Sato nodded. “We would be pleased to Mura-san,” he said with nod to 
Secretary and they headed back into the meeting room.

Actions:

1>	Order a review of the civil service over the next year, looking to change 
it from the employment machine it has been since 1945, to an efficient 
organization based on merit not seniority. The review is to include all the 
branches of the civil services and state-run enterprises in Japan and 
identify the redundant positions throughout as well as evaluate the 
individual personnel at the management leve and find out who is doing their 
jobs well and whose not.
2>	After the completion of the review announce which positions will be 
removed and which personnel will be laid-off, and give them a full year to 
either retire with full benefits (if 60 or older) or find work in the 
private sector.

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