Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Japan’s Innovation of Public Organizations in the Research and Development Field

  • Published:
Public Organization Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Japanese government implemented drastic restructuring of the central government in 2001. As a part of this reform, the incorporated administrative agency (IAA) system was newly introduced in view of carrying out certain public functions in a more flexible, business-like and autonomous way. Research and development activities in the public sector are now mostly conducted by the incorporated administrative agencies. In this article, the purpose of this reorganization is firstly described followed by the outline of this system and current accomplishments. In concluding, the Japanese undertaking of a new public organization is analyzed in comparison with the European and “Anglo-Saxon” countries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The basic information concerning the public corporation in Japan is given by Administrative Inspection Bureau, Management and Coordination Agency (1991, 1997).

  2. The outline of the reform launched by Mr. Nakasone is given in Masujima (2003) and Masujima and O’uchi (1995).

  3. There are a few works concerning the reform undertaking by Mr. Hashimoto. See Former Staff Organization of the Executive Office to the Administrative Reform Council (1998), Imamura (1999), Nakamura (1999) and Tanaka and Okada (2000).

  4. See Administrative Inspection Bureau, Management and Coordination Agency (1997).

  5. For more information see Kaneko (1999, 2002) and Kaneko & Horie (2000).

  6. The council reported its deliberation results in 1997. See Administrative Reform Council (1997).

  7. See Government of Japan (2001) and The Nikkei (2001).

  8. See Matsuda (1999) and Research Group on the IAA System (2004).

  9. See Kaneko (2002).

  10. Specific activities that come under one of the following conditions should not be transferred to incorporated administrative agencies.

    • The exercise of public authority to directly and forcibly limit the rights of the people

    • Unenforceable unless executed in the name of the national government

    • >Directly related to the management of national crises

  11. The third party organs are to evaluate the performance of R&D IAAs based on the guidelines decided by the prime minister. See Government of Japan (2005b).

  12. See Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy (2005a, b).

  13. See Labor Union of Nation-wide University Personnel (2001).

  14. The principles, methods and procedures of the review were stipulated in Government of Japan (2003).

  15. The remaining budget process in the Japanese government is as follows.

    After each ministry submits its budget request to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Finance holds repeated hearing sessions with the requesting ministries and carries out the examination and adjustment of budget requests. Around December 20, the ministry presents its draft budget proposal to the cabinet. Then the revival negotiations begin between the Ministry of Finance and the other ministries and the draft budget is decided at the cabinet meeting around December 24. The draft budget is submitted to the Diet, Japanese parliament in January next year. In a usual case, the draft budget is passed through the Diet by the end of March at the latest. It is very rare that the draft budget is changed by the Diet.

  16. See Evaluation Council, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2004, 2005b).

  17. See Government of Japan (2005a).

  18. See Evaluation Council, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2005a).

References

  • Administrative Inspection Bureau, Management and Coordination Agency 1991. Performance evaluation of public corporations: Facts and challenges. Tokyo: Printing Bureau, Ministry of Finance.

    Google Scholar 

  • Administrative Inspection Bureau, Management and Coordination Agency 1997. Issues on the disclosure of public corporations. Tokyo: Printing Bureau, Ministry of Finance.

    Google Scholar 

  • Administrative Reform Council 1997. Final report.

  • Evaluation Committee, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) 2005. 2004 Evaluation report on the IAAs supervised by METI.

  • Evaluation Council, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 2004. Reform course for the IAAs completing the medium-term at the end of fiscal 2005. Opinions to the relevant ministers.

  • Evaluation Council, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 2005a. IAA annual report 2004.

  • Evaluation Council, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 2005b. Reform course for the IAAs completing the medium-term at the end of fiscal 2005. Opinions to the relevant ministers.

  • Evaluation Department, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) 2005. 2004 Evaluation report of research units.

  • Former Staff Organization of the Executive Office to the Administrative Reform Council 1998. Japanese public administration in the 21st Century. Tokyo: Institute of Administrative Management.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenwood, J., Pyper, R., & Wilson, D. 2002. New public administration in Britain. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of Japan 2001. Program for streamlining and rationalization of public corporations. Cabinet decision.

  • Government of Japan 2003. Guideline for the overall review of the organizations and programs of IAAs at the end of medium-term. Cabinet decision.

  • Government of Japan 2005a. Reform plans for the IAAs completing the medium-term by March 2006. Decision by the administrative reform headquarters.

  • Government of Japan 2005b. Guideline for evaluating government R&D activities. Decision by the prime minister.

  • Imamura, T. 1999. Administrative reform in the central government. Annals of the Japanese society for public administration. pp 24–41.

  • Juri, Y. 2002. International convergence toward the new public management?—A comparative analysis of the policy transfer in Japan of the executive agency system from the UK. MSc in public policy dissertation, University of London.

  • Kaneko, Y. 1999. Government reform in Japan. In: Proceedings IIAS first specialized international conference. London, United Kingdom, July 12–15.

  • Kaneko, Y. 2002. Downsizing the Japanese government. In: Proceedings IIAS second specialized international conference. New Delhi, India, November 5–9.

  • Kaneko, Y. & Horie, M. 2000. Reinventing the Japanese government. In: Proceedings IIAS seminar on administrative reform in Asia. Beijing, China, July 14–15.

  • Kaneko, Y. & Horie, M. 2003. Independent administrative institution: Innovation of public organizations in Japan. In: Proceedings international conference on the reform of Chinese public institutions and construction of NPOs. Beijing, China, October 23–24.

  • Labor Union of Nation-wide University Personnel 2001. Reform of national universities and future perspectives. Tokyo: Nihon Hyouron Sha.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masujima, T. 2003. Perspectives on administrative reform and its evolution. Tokyo: Gyosei.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masujima, T., & O’uchi, M. (Eds.) 1995. The Management and reform of the Japanese government. 2nd ed. Tokyo: Institute of Administrative Management.

  • Matsuda, T. 1999. Some points for independent administrative corporation system. In: Proceedings IIAS first specialized international conference. London, United Kingdom, July 12–15.

  • Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy 2005a. Comments on major programs of R&D IAAs for fiscal 2006 Budget requests.

  • Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy 2005b. Comments on R&D activities of IAAs.

  • Nakamura, A. 1999. Administrative reform in the age of governance. Annals of the Japanese society for public administration. pp 42–62.

  • National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) 2005. 2004 Progress report.

  • The Nikkei (Eds.) 2001. Examining the public corporation reform. Tokyo: The Nikkei.

  • Pollitt, C., & Bouckaert, G. 2004. Public management reform. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Research Group on the IAA System 2004. Handbook on the IAA system. Tokyo: Daiichi Hoki Shuupan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka, K., & Okada, A. (Eds.). 2000. Reforms of central government ministries and agencies. Tokyo: Nihon-Hyoron-Sha.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Yamagata, Yamagata, Japan

    Yuko Kaneko

  2. 8-6-12, Seijo, Setagayaku, Tokyo, 157-0066, Japan

    Yuko Kaneko

Authors
  1. Yuko Kaneko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuko Kaneko.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kaneko, Y. Japan’s Innovation of Public Organizations in the Research and Development Field. Public Organiz Rev 6, 329–346 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-006-0009-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-006-0009-9

Key words

Search

Navigation