Cabinet Secretariat

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The Cabinet Secretariat and Cabinet Office building in Nagatacho , Chiyoda .

The Japanese Cabinet Secretariat ( 内閣 官 房 naikaku kambō ) is an agency of the central government that undertakes the joint press and public relations work of the cabinet and acts as the coordination point of the ministries. The Cabinet Secretariat also organizes the activities of the Security Council . The chief cabinet secretary ( 内閣 官 房 長官 , naikaku kambō chōkan ; dt. Also: chief of the cabinet secretariat, chief secretary of the cabinet, government spokesman) is a minister in the Japanese cabinet .

In its current form, the cabinet secretariat was established in 1947 after the post-war constitution as the successor to the naikaku shokikan ( 内閣 書記 官 ) established in 1879 . Until 1966, the chief cabinet secretary was not necessarily a minister and part of the cabinet. But from 1963 he was, like the ministers, a position that was formally dependent on the appointment by the Tennō ( 認証 官 , ninshōkan ).

In the Shinzō Abe II cabinet, Yoshihide Suga has been Chief Cabinet Secretary since 2012 .

Political significance of the chief cabinet secretary

Since 1947, the office of chief cabinet secretary has been considered one of the most important posts in the cabinet and is a possible step on the way to the office of prime minister . Eight post-war prime ministers ( Satō , Ōhira , Suzuki , Takeshita , Miyazawa , Obuchi , Abe , Fukuda ) were chief cabinet secretaries before their term in office.

The chief cabinet secretary is the central figure in the government's day-to-day public image: on the days of the Kokkai meetings , he answers journalists at least twice and he represents government positions in all political fields. It also plays an important role in balancing the various interests within the ruling party and the ministerial bureaucracy. Since 2014, a new personnel department in the Cabinet Secretariat ( naikaku jinjikyoku , 内閣 人事局 , for example “Cabinet Personnel Office”) has also made central decisions about the promotion of civil servants to higher positions, which were previously determined by each ministry itself. Usually he belongs to the same faction as the prime minister in order to guarantee a loyal and trusting cooperation.

The post is because of its importance as the "right hand" ( 女 房 役 , nyōbōyaku ; literally: "wife office") of the Prime Minister.

Shadow budget

The chief cabinet secretary also has a shadow budget , popularly known as a “ secret fund ” ( 機密 費 , kimitsuhi ), officially about “remuneration fund of the cabinet secretariat” ( 内閣 官 房 報償 費 , naikaku kambō hōshō-hi ). The exact purpose of the funds used in it - estimated at around 1.4 billion yen in fiscal year 2009 - is not publicly known. However, it was suggested several times that the “secret fund” had also been used for party political goals, which led to fierce criticism from the opposition. After the long-term ruling LDP lost power in 2009, the new government declared that the use of the funds could still not be made public. The fund is used to collect important information for the government.

Departments

The chief cabinet secretary is subordinate to three deputy cabinet secretaries ( 内閣 官 房 副 長官 , naikaku kambō fuku-chōkan ; off. English Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary ). Most of the tasks of the Cabinet Secretariat are performed under the direction of one of the three "Assistant to the Deputy Cabinet Secretary" ( 内閣 官 房 副 長官 補 , naikaku kambō fukuchōkan-ho ; Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary ). Three departments are organized separately and are subordinate to the deputies through their own directors:

  • The Naikaku-kōhō-shitsu ( 内閣 広 報 室 ; "PR Office of the Cabinet"; Cabinet Public Relations Office ) is intended to support the Chief Cabinet Secretary and his deputy in public relations.
  • The Naikaku Jōhō Chōsashitsu ( 内閣 情報 調査 室 ; "Office of the Cabinet for Enlightenment and Investigation"; Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office ) performs intelligence duties for the cabinet. This includes the Naikaku eisei jōhō center ( 内閣 衛星 情報 セ ン タ ー ; Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center ), which is responsible for satellite intelligence on disasters and threats to national security.
  • The Naikaku-sōmukan-shitsu ( 内閣 総 務 官 室 ; "Office of the Secretary for General Affairs of the Cabinet", Cabinet Affairs Office ) is responsible, among other things, for the Kantei , the official seat of the Prime Minister.

Kokka Senryaku-shitsu

When it came to power in 2009, the Democratic Party announced the establishment of an “Office for National Strategy” ( 国家 戦 略 局 , kokka senryaku-kyoku ), which would primarily draw up the budget, but also other policy areas, centrally and under the control of the elected government independently of should control the ministries in order to strengthen the primacy of politics over the ministerial bureaucracy. A corresponding law on the establishment was introduced in parliament. Immediately after the change of government, a “Department for National Strategy” ( 国家 戦 略 室 , kokka senryaku-shitsu ; National Policy Unit ) was set up at the cabinet office. A "Minister for National Strategy" ( kokka senryaku tantō daijin ) was designated in the cabinet . Since 2011 there has also been a “National Strategy Conference” ( kokka senryaku-kaigi ) chaired by the Prime Minister.

Special Advisor to the Prime Minister

The cabinet secretariat is also formally assigned a maximum of five special advisers to the prime minister ( 内閣 総 理 大臣 補 佐 官 , naikaku sōri-daijin hosakan ), although they do not report to the chief cabinet secretary.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Reiji Yoshida: Abe moves to boost control of bureaucrats. In: The Japan Times . May 27, 2014, accessed December 2, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Markus Winter: Abe and the Bureacracy: Tightening the Reins. In: The Diplomat . June 16, 2016, accessed December 2, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Michael Cucek: Japan's indispensable man. In: East Asia Forum . November 29, 2016, accessed December 2, 2016 .
  4. ↑ DPJ flip-flop: Cabinet fund stays secret. Hirano's vault: ¥ 1.4 billion was budget for '09. In: The Japan Times . November 9, 2009, accessed December 5, 2009 .
  5. ↑ Kantei : 内閣 官 房 報償 費 の 国庫 か ら の 支出 状況 , "Withdrawals of the remuneration fund of the cabinet secretariat from the state treasury" (contains monthly amounts used in the fiscal years 2004 to 2009; PDF; 68 kB)
  6. ^ Cabinet funds stay secret: Sengoku. In: The Japan Times . June 12, 2010, accessed June 12, 2009 .
  7. ↑ 内閣 官 房 組織 等 英文 名称 一 覧
  8. ↑ 内閣 官 房 の 概要 ： 組織 図
  9. ↑ established according to Art. 17, Cabinet Act (English translation)
  10. ↑ “Ordinance on the Organization of the Cabinet Secretariat” ( Memento of the original from October 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Japanese)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cas.go.jp

Web links

Coordinates: 35 ° 40 ′ 22.8 "  N , 139 ° 44 ′ 43"  E