Regarding the Feb. 10 article "The uphill battle against 'descent from heaven' ": While it is commendable that people in Japan are ready to condemn the amakudari practice of retiring bureaucrats and to do something about it, the measures recently proposed by the Aso administration will be ineffectual.

It is absurd for the government to be talking about making any sort of post-retirement arrangements for civil servants, such as establishing an agency to help them find re-employment. Choosing to retire is a personal choice and bureaucrats should receive no assistance other than their pensions. It is grossly unfair and a scandalous waste of taxpayers' money if civil servants are able to claim a pension and a lucrative second income especially while so many workers in the private sector who are much more valuable to the economy are losing their jobs. I think it is time for the various organizations that employ all these amakudari bureaucrats to make some job cuts as well.

simon foston