Upper Civil Service in Japan This paper will disc

This paper will discuss various aspects of the Japanese upper, or higher, civil service, including recruitment and organization, and will discuss the power and influence of the civil service in the government.

The recruitment of civil servants is probably more important in Japan than in any other country because of certain factors which are unique to Japan. First of all, it has become customary in Japan for civil servants to enjoy lifetime employment. Second, decentralized recruiting and an extremely low degree of lateral mobility have created a cautious and competitive recruitment system. Third, the multiple track recruiting system has raised the stakes of initial recruitment, since future leaders are identified and selected during the process. Finally, recruitment has become very important because there is no probationary appointment of civil servants; those selected are offered employment without any conditions (Koh, 1989, p. 67).

The selection process for all civil service positions, except a few at the highest administrative levels and those requiring unique and scarce specialties, is based upon competitive examination. Although there is no education requirement, the three different types of exams have been aimed at persons who have attained certain education levels. The highest level, isshu, is aimed at those who have graduated from four-year colleges; the intermediate level, nishu, is aimed at those who have graduated from junior college

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bureaucracy predates the present political system; in spite of civil service reform instituted during the American occupation, the present civil service system strongly resembles that which existed between 1900 and 1945. Thus the primacy of the bureaucrat over the politician, a tradition extending back to the Meji restoration in the late 19th Century, has continued throughout the postwar years (Japan's Men, 1987, p. 72). The relatively high regard in which government bureaucrats are held is evident by the fierce competition during the recruitment process and the large number of applicants attracted from the Todai. Since 1945, 90% of the bills enacted into law by the Diet have originated in the cabinet, or the bureaucracy, rather than with individual members of the Diet (Koh, 1989, pp. 205-6).In addition, observers have noted that the distinction between politicians and high level bureaucrats has traditionally been blurry; bureaucrats have always discharged both bureaucratic and political functions (Heady, 1979, p. 219). Thus, Japanese civil service bureaucrats quite frequently make policy decisions which would be considered within the realm of politicians in other countries. There is another way in which the civil service influe

Category: Foreign - U