My opinion this week(156):

Reformation of organization of police authorities

 So many public scandals such as resignation of Mr. Ochi, Minister of
Finance Restructuring Committee and Mr.Kobayashi, Director of Nigata
Prefecture Police Headquarter, etc. continue one after another. We
are surprised to see so many scandals happened in police authorities
where they must avoid any of such scandals to maintain legal order of
the society. People's distrust against Japanese police authorities
must have been intensified since the case happened in Kanagawa Pre-
fecture last year. 

  Whenever some scandals happened, top executives of police authorities
appeared at press conferences and vowed in front of news reporter saying
that they were very sorry for the case happened inside of their 
organization. Some of their leaders were dismissed and/or disciplined
in one way or the other. The Director of National Police Agency and/or
Chairman of the Public Safety Commission also appeared at press 
conferences and declare: "We are very sorry for that happened. This kind
of scandals should never be repeated again."  Is that all that what they
have to say?  Or is that all what they have to do?

  No argument as to why such scandals happen so often and how those 
scandals can be eliminated in the future has ever made before in any
concrete manner. There are now some administrative reform projects are
going on at the central Government. Some restructuring of organizations
and Ministries will be taken place. But we have never heard about a 
certain restructuring projects in organization of police authorities.
Under such circumstances, we guess that many other scandals will be 
repeated in the future. 

  I made one sentry (Japanese hike like poem) last year-end, the contents
of which is something like this: "Police communities prefer to protect
their men and their own organization rather than law that is the most 
important thing they have to protect." That sentry was not any good at
all but I believe that that described the essence of the problem of
current organizational defects of police authorities. That sentry also
describe the key point as to the scandal of Niigata Police case. [

  At the night when a woman was released from the kidnapping after 9
years, the Head of Niigata Prefecture Police Station was entertaining
the auditor of Tokyo Central Police Office who visited Niigata to
conduct auditing of their operation. They enjoyed eating, drinking and
playing Mahjong together at a Japanese inn. They could never excuse that 
those entertainments are just private matters. It was obviously so called
Kan-Kan Settai, the entertainment of internal public organization.

  When it comes to private business firms, auditing system is reasonably
incorporated. There exist internal auditor, first of all. Outside 
accounting auditing firms audit firms their accounting records very
 objectively, Shareholders of firms are able to sue directors whenever
they find any improper actions and injustices conducted by directors. 
It is true that many scandals had happened among private business firms
until quite recently regardless the existence of such self check auditing
system. However, some basic corrective movement and remedies have already
started to let those system work. 

 There appeared many lawsuits made by shareholders at some firms. Accounting
auditing firms started to make auditing work more strictly than before.
Otherwise shareholders or others would sue them for any defectives 
works they had done. 

  In the case of private business firms, their organizational structure
are becoming flatter compared with conventional pyramid type organization.
Network organization is now more common in which information is now
more disclosed and opened and shared by all segments of the organization.
Thanks to this development, shareholders are able to check what is going on
in the firm concerned. 

  On the other hand, organization pf police authorities is still quite
closed. They are typical pyramid organization. No outside auditors, whichever
they are public or private ones, exist. They continue to exist as a kind of
special closed community called Mura in Japanese. Without breaking up such
closed communities, I suspect that such kind of scandals will be repeated
in the future.

  We people of Japan should not accept such abstract excuse mentioned by
top executives of police authorities any more whenever such scandals 
occurred. There will be no solution at all so far as those top leaders of
police authorities or Government officials just repeat such excuse. 

  It is now the time that some definite organizational reform scheme for
police authorities should be presented by the Government and lawmakers.

2000/3/4
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion this week(157):

Let's use e-mail

  There must be many reasons for the current stagnant situation of Japanese
society and economy. However, a major reason is the delay of networking of
Japanese society in contrast with the society of US. The contents of the
delay in networking are various. Many critics pointed tout the delay in 
infrastructure of Internet communication networks. That is, however, is not 
a big problem any more, as far as I can see. Another issue is communication
terminals are still in shortage that are used to connect to Internet. That
handicap is also being improved very rapidly by fast increase of PC shipment
these days and development of such new terminal as PLAY STATION 2 of Sony.

  The biggest and the most important reason for the delay in networking
rather derives from more basic personal and structural closeness of Japanese
society and mind of Japanese people, according to my opinion. Take one 
example, for instance. 

 Thanks to the development of Internet, many business and people started
to use e-mails very much. A number of PC and Internet magazines pick up
various know-how and various technical matters such as attachment of
files, compression of file sizes, etc. every month and every week. In order
to promote the use of e-mail, such technical know-how are surely very
important. But according to my belief, the most important point to promote
e-mail is the principle and motives as to why we use e-mail, what we can
get by using e-mail and what we can create through exchanging e-mail. 

  More than 80% business firms are now introducing e-mail system. Many
individuals have now e-mail addresses. Some even have two or three. But
the point is how many percentage of people are really using and utilizing
for their own business and for various personal purpose. May be, only 5 to
10% of address holders are using them or even less when it comes personal
mails. In the case of US, this percentage is much higher, probably 30 to
40% or more. The difference of economic development between the two 
countries comes from this difference, I dare  say.

  Why is this? I think there are three reasons or background for it:

  1) The delay in penetration of e-mail is due to the closeness and
      hierarchy of Japanese social structure.

  2) The use of e-mail has been delayed due to the lack of basic reading
     and writing capacity of Japanese people.

  3) The lack of basic self-expression, the capacity to express their 
     own idea and opinion is the third reason for the delay in e-mail
     use. 

  Once I started to talk about the above, I need 100 more pages and
100 hours of more time. They are all key basic issues to discuss. Some 
answers were shown in the report presented by the Council of 21st Century
for Prime Minister. The report is exactly on those issues listed as No1
and No3 above. Another 100 pages and hours will be necessary to talk 
about it in detail and I cannot do it right now. 

  Furhter more, we cannot wait for another 20 years as the report
presented to reform Japanese education system to change basic structure
of Japanese society and basic character of Japanese people. I would like
to make more concrete suggestions how to change of Japanese society and
Japanese people as the report described. 

  When we talk about networking that means the penetration and effective
use of e-mail in business and our social life.  Now is the time that
children at schools, businesspersons in business and people in societies
are requested to use and master e-mail. And some basic training and 
education on how to use e-mail is very necessary.

  No theory and argument are necessary. The most important thing is now
that all Japanese people in any fields try now to use them and to have
experience of using it. 

  I believe the change of Japanese society and people will be driven by
it. I have just started some mailing list services recently. I am quite
surprised to see how they are good and convenient to penetrate the use 
of e-mails for people in various fields. I will continue to use them
and promote them to promote e-mail use of people in varioous communities
I belong to attain the purpose mentioned above.

2000/3/11
Tadashi HAYASE

My opinion this week(158):

Fallacy of conferment system

  Although I felt it very strange, I have kept silent about it, for nobody 
mentioned anything so much in the past. However, some argument has started
on it recently and I was relieved a little bit with the fact that such
argument had occurred. It was about the conferment system in this country.

  They are the Order of Culture, Testimonial Awards for cultural activities
and conferment medals provided twice a year such as the First Order Medal
of Japan,@etc.

  Although there also exists some concerns on the Order of Culture and
Testimonial Awards for cultures, it is understood that they are given to
those who contributed to various cultural works of the country. So let
put them aside from this argument at this time.

  What I feel strange is the conferment medal awards system in this 
country.  They are ranged from very top the First Order Metal to
the Sixth or Seventh Order Medal of conferment. The people who are
given the First Order Medal are top government officials such as a
former prime minister, a former chairman pf the Diet, a former judge
of the Supreme Court, etc. On the other hand, people who are given
the Sixth Order Medal are to their contribution to some cultural and
public works at local communities. 

  In summary, the Order Medals are given depend on the position of the
person in the hierarchy of the organization who were at in their career.
Some doubt on such system arose among lawmakers of ruling parties 
recently and the study group to reform the system itself was 
formulated. I thought that it was a good move, although it was a kind
of slow reaction at any rate. 

  When it comes to award, I have no objection at all as to such scheme
that some awards are given to those public officials who had made a good
contribution at the central Government or at any local governments. In
any private business firms, or in any other organizations, there are
some sorts of awards plan as well. The important point for such awards
system is the selection criteria. They should be fair and are the ones 
which are recognized by the people, although it is very difficult. 

 However, when it comets to the present conferment system of this 
country, it is entirely too good for public officials compared with
for people in any other groups. As mentioned above, the First Order
Medals are given to those categories of people, such as former prime-
ministers, former chairman of the Congress, judges of Supreme Court, etc.
The Second Order Medal are given for former governors, The Third Order
Medal are for former mayors of local cities, and so on.

  The First Order Medals are given to  some private business firms 
occasionally. But winners are rather limited to , for example 
former presidents pf some top class companies who shared such official
positions as the Chairman of Economic Federation of Japan, etc.

  It is true that the present conferment system put too much weight on 
public officials. Such Order Medal system itself is, I believe, against
The principle and spirit of democracy. It is a kind of anachronism, I
may say it. 

  It is sure that there are some differences in the degree of contribution
and their achievement for any rewards. But such a long and a complete
order system is against the basic spirit and the principle of democracy
and constitution that says, " every occupation deserves respect of esteem
regardless of rank." 

  Why do they discriminate the awards so distinctly starting from the 
first grade to 6th and 7th grade?  Only about three kinds of group awards
may be fine without putting any ranks. 

  Please do not say that it is a trifling matter. Yes, it is a very
important matter, I think, that relates to basic principle of democracy.

  I would like to mention some claims against mass-media which usually 
report the event in rather big scale hitting such a headline:" Mr. X of
former prime minister won the First Order Medal. "  

  Please stop doing it from next time.

2000/3/18
Tadashi HAYASE

My  opinion this week(159):

End of Spring Labor Offensive

Spring Labor Offensivei is going on this year also. The answer on the 
demand for wage increase from major industries such as steel, shipbuiding
electric alliances, etc. differed each other from industries to industries. 
One noticable comments from a chairman of electric appliance industry
was that the style of Spring Labor Offensive is over.

  After the World War II, the present style of Spring labor Offensive
in which each industries request the same rate of wage increase
simutaneously among member companies of a same industry, has 
been established as a typical industrial relation practice in Japan. In
the recent few years of economic recession, the answer from management
side varied very much from industries unions to unions. Some management
agreed to increase of the wage as requested . Some made a zero increase or
even minus increase based on the management environment where they 
are in. 

There was no basic problem at all on such simultaneous request and
answer on wage increase while economy was in such a high developing
stage. Any industries as a whole could make a good reply to even any
demanding request.

One of  a president of an indutry union mentioned that he was quite
disappointed with a very bad reply from management side and he 
continued to say that he felt responsible for such result. I thought that
the comment was very strange and irrevant as a matter of fact.

While management side are trying to change various practices of
personnel management such as life time employment, seniority based
wage system, unanimous wage increase negotiation once a year , etc.
it seems that most unions just stick to conventional style of negotiation
with management. The existence of labor union itself is questioned 
these days. While the organization rate of unions is decreasing 
significantly, it is natural that such conventional style as Spring
Offensive itself is now in question. The fact is that labor unions are
not coping with the change of a new industrial relations these days.

I have no intention to deny the function of labor unions. No, it is
contrary.  I would like to suggest that the meaning of union existence
should be restudied in principle. In any management and labor circum
stances, management and labor must work together to attain mutual
goals  for common benefits. On the other hand, the interest of two
parties conflict  each other as to the distribution of fruits they win 
together.

The answer for that could never be acquired by such unanimous
request from labor unions and unanimous answer from management
by industries basis.

 Even though each firms belong to a same industry, their manage-
ment environment are quite different each others. Industrial relation
of each firms are quite different also. Any of such unanimous and
unified negotiation as Spring Offensive will not be effective any more.

It is now the time that all unions should reexamine the meaning
of their existence by themselves and establish the principle and
policies of their organization based on their basic requirment..

2000/3/25
Tadashi HAYASE