＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
At his first press conference since taking office on the 16th, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga revealed that he had instructed Minister of Administrative Reform Taro Kono to consider establishing a “Vertical Division Hotline” through which the public could report information about vertical divisions in government administration.
The Prime Minister explained to Kono, “I instructed him to take into consideration information from the public about what is actually happening.”
The Prime Minister stated, “Minister Kono will handle all problematic issues such as vertical divisions, vested interests, and precedent-based governance. I have placed regulatory reform at the center of this administration. I intend to work closely with the ministers and the Prime Minister on this.”
However, I have many questions about the “Vertical Division Hotline” proposed by the Suga administration.
1. “Listening to the People’s Voice” Is Irresponsible Passing the buck
“Listening to the People’s Voice” sounds good, but the public is not in a position to fully understand the negative effects and realities of “vertical divisions in government administration.”
At best, aren’t the issues at city and ward offices limited to poor coordination and inconsistent information communication and sharing?
The only people who could offer concrete suggestions about the “vertical division hotline” are likely to be companies with connections to central government agencies, such as contractors who require interagency licensing and approval applications.
2. The Prime Minister’s Office Should Be the First to Know the Harmful Effects of Vertical Division
In the first place, it is the bureaucrats working for central government agencies who are well aware of the harms of vertical division, vested interests, and precedent-based governance. However, since they are preoccupied with protecting their own agency’s turf and vested interests, they are unlikely to provide information to a “vertical division hotline” like a whistle-blowing hotline.
The Prime Minister’s Office should be the first to know the harms of vertical division. Therefore, the “vertical division hotline” is an irresponsible approach that leaves everything to the public.
3. The Prime Minister’s Office Should Be the First to Present Specific Problems
As Chief Cabinet Secretary for seven years and eight months, Prime Minister Suga, who “has personally experienced the drawbacks of vertical administrative division,” should be the first to present specific problems and then instruct Minister of Administrative Reform Kono to consider countermeasures.
4. Minister Kono should “carefully consider and present measures to resolve these issues.”
After the Prime Minister presents specific problems, Minister Kono should carefully consider measures to resolve them and present the results to the public.
Relying solely on the “vertical division hotline” cannot be expected to achieve much in the way of “overcoming the drawbacks of vertical administrative division.” Sharply confronting bureaucrats who use various arguments to hide the “benefits of vertical administrative division” is exactly what we expect from Minister Kono.
If Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is serious about “breaking down the drawbacks of vertically divided administration,” I would like him to first present the “specific problems” to the public using the steps described above, and then Minister Kono should formulate “effective measures” that will achieve groundbreaking results with their breakthrough and destructive power.