The Abe administration's plan to move some national government functions out of Tokyo — supposedly a part of its efforts to halt population flight to the capital and revitalize regional economies — falls so short of expectations as to put its commitment to the project in doubt.
The plan unveiled last week fails to set specific timeline on the already decided transfer of the Cultural Affairs Agency to Kyoto — billed to take place "in several years" — and shelves the decision on whether to move the Consumer Affairs Agency to Tokushima Prefecture for three more years. It meanwhile calls for creation of regional branch facilities of some ministries and agencies in prefectures that had sought their relocation in vain — which would only result in the further bloating of the central government bureaucracy.
The administration should reflect on why it decided to try to relocate some central government functions in the first place. When the latest attempt was started in 2014, then regional revitalization minister Shigeru Ishiba said the government needs to set an example for the private sector as it urges businesses to transfer their headquarters out of Tokyo. If that was the objective, the administration appears to be setting a poor example and might only provide private-sector businesses with an excuse for not following the government's call.