Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ordered all ministries Friday to hire more bureaucrats from other sectors of the government so that they will account for 10 percent of all of its high-ranking staff within three years.
The move is intended to tear down the red-tape barriers between government ministries and agencies that are often blamed for bureaucratic rigidity and a lack of coordination within the government.
Officials of government ministries and agencies have been criticized for prioritizing the interests of their ministries ahead of the broader interests of the government or nation.