To carry out the first major reform of the national civil service system in 50 years, the government plans to introduce legislation in the Diet next year to revise the national public service law. Under present plans, the new law would be implemented beginning in fiscal 2006. A task force of the Cabinet secretariat in charge of administrative reform is compiling the legislation based on an outline of civil-service reform adopted by the Cabinet late last year.

Unfortunately, the proposed reform could aggravate sectionalism and the tendency to give priority to ministry interests instead of eliminating such problems.

Back in 1964, a provisional commission on administrative service published a report proposing that the National Personnel Authority be given more power to make personnel administration democratic, neutral and fair. The report emphasized that the NPA's main job should be to prevent political intervention and favoritism in personnel appointments.