Revelations of the education ministry's organized involvement in securing post-retirement jobs for its officials at universities and school operators should shed light on the practice of government bureaucrats landing lucrative positions at businesses in industries that they used to supervise — which appears to remain widespread despite the tightening of regulations to prevent collusive ties between the bureaucracy and industries. The Abe administration ordered a probe into whether other ministries and agencies engage in similar acts. It should also examine whether the current rules are serving their intended purposes.

The 2007 amendment to the law on national government officials prohibited public servants from asking and arranging for re-employment of their retiring colleagues or former officials at companies or organizations over which their ministry or agency holds powers in such matters as issuing business permits, distributing subsidies and administrative guidance. It also banned bureaucrats from engaging in their own job searches while still in office by providing information about themselves to prospective new employers.

One of the problems that prompted the amendment was a scandal at the now-defunct Defense Facilities Administration Agency, in which the agency was found to have favored companies that hired retired defense officials with lucrative conditions in its contracts — and played a key role in the bid-rigging by contractors. The case exposed how the amakudari (meaning "descent from heaven") practice of government bureaucrats landing post-retirement jobs in related industries and organizations breeds collusion that distorts administrative fairness and results in wasteful spending of taxpayer money.