Regarding the April 19 article "METI hit for 'amakudari' habits that put retirees in Tepco" (in which the government is described as urging industry ministry officials to refrain from taking positions at power utilities after retirement): It is old government retirees "descending from heaven" into comfortable industry positions who create hell on earth!
The entire nuclear regulation sector in Japan should be staffed by scientists and engineers who have absolutely no government ties and are paid handsomely so that they will never be tempted by corporate bribes or "gifts" offered just weeks or days before a nuclear energy plant inspection tour.
The good-ol'-boy network is all right for run-of-the-mill political scandals like the one involving the 1980s' Recruit stock market deal that blew up, but not where the safety of nuclear reactors is concerned. Keep the greedy little bureaucrats and politicians away from the atomic plants.
The age-old practice of amakudari might spell the end of Japan. I wonder how many times Tepco management was warned of disaster if steps weren't taken to improve structural safety at Fukushima? How many times were such warnings ignored, or accident reports swept under the carpet?
The Japanese public had better wake up real soon and start taking their civic responsibilities very seriously. Vote for a better government. Get rid of the bums who have run things for over 65 years. Amakudari should be banned.
This is corruption at its worst.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.