The Diet earlier this month approved an ethics-in-government bill, more than a year after it was introduced under the initiative of former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The way in which is was handled, however, indicates that the political drive to stamp out corruption has lost steam.
The bill was drafted by the three ruling parties that formed the Hashimoto administration -- the Liberal Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party and Sakigake -- following a spate of scandals in the ranks of the central bureaucracy. But it was left on the table for a long time; only when the last Diet session drew to a close was it cleared, albeit with revisions, in a deal that tied it to a vote on legislation giving legal recognition to the Hinomaru flag and the "Kimigayo" anthem.
The Finance Ministry and other government offices have already set up internal rules that regulate, among other things, dealings with businesspeople. But, according to some LDP legislators, a new form of entertainment is emerging with bureaucrats attending parties thrown by politicians for businessmen.