A government advisory panel considering ways to privatize four road-related public corporations urged the government Wednesday to oust Japan Highway Public Corp. President Haruho Fujii for dragging his feet.
"What President Fujii is doing is apart from what he has said. We cannot help asserting it is an uncooperative attitude," Nobuteru Ishihara, minister in charge of administrative reform, said as panel members complained about Fujii.
"I will tell the prime minister today of opinions here," Ishihara told the gathering, which began a second day of intensive discussions with the intention of compiling an interim report later this month.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi launched the committee of seven private-sector experts in late June to address huge debts at Japan Highway, Metropolitan Expressway Public Corp., Hanshin Expressway Public Corp. and the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority.
Takashi Imai, honorary chairman of the Japan Business Federation, chairs the panel.
Asked about the panel's call, Koizumi said Japan Highway "must cooperate anyway."
A former bureaucrat at the former Construction Ministry, Fujii has cited various reasons to delay or neglect the release of data requested by panel members.
Several panel members recommended replacing Fujii with a business leader so the government can successfully privatize the four debt-ridden public corporations to make highway operations efficient. Fujii's term is due to end in April 2004.