A government-proposed bill that will serve as the framework for Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's plans for a slimmer administration -- one of his six major reform goals -- cleared the Diet late Tuesday afternoon.
Hashimoto's pet legislation aims to reduce 22 government ministries and agencies to one Cabinet Office and 12 ministries. Hashimoto has said the restructuring will create a "streamlined, efficient and transparent" government.
The bill stipulates that the new administrative system must be in place within five years of the law's enactment, although Hashimoto himself said he hopes to launch the new system in January 2001. After approval from an Upper House panel, the administrative reform bill cleared the full chamber with support from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its two former allies -- the Social Democratic Party and New Party Sakigake -- despite opposition from other forces.