LONDON -- The Japanese Foreign Ministry has been much criticized over the last year. Reforms have been made and more changes are likely. Some of the criticism has been justified, but much is misplaced and some of the proposals for changes are mistaken.
Japanese politicians who criticize the Foreign Ministry should first do some self-reflection. The scandals over the ministry's secret funds were reprehensible, but what about the scandals over the salaries of secretaries to members of the Diet? How much of the secret funds were used to entertain and assist parliamentarians visiting foreign countries? Can Japanese politicians claim they have taken adequate steps to prevent the malpractices involved in the bid-rigging "dango" system, which still prevails in many construction projects? Have they made adequate efforts to curb the wasteful use of taxpayer funds in building roads and dams that have little or no economic merit? The answer to these questions is, of course, that they have not.
In the case of the Foreign Ministry, the improved methods of supervision and control that have recently been adopted should help prevent further misappropriations of public funds, but parliamentarians should also curb their demands on Japanese missions abroad and not expect to be "nannied," subsidized and accompanied throughout their visits abroad. Their "study" visits really should include substantial study.