[talk] Let's join hands with NPOs and drive the maturity of local governments.

Masayasu Kitagawa: Governor of Mie Prefecture

Kitagawa was born in 1944. He graduated from Waseda University’s Commerce Department in 1967. After having served in the Mie Prefecture Assembly, he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for the first time in 1983. He was the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Education in 1990 and has been the Mie Prefecture Governor since 1995. He has been an aggressive promoter of reform on the prefectural level based upon information disclosure and developing a government that begins with prefectural residents. Two of his main policies have been to develop a “Statistical Business Evaluation System" which is a zero-based system to evaluate and suggest improvements in businesses, and the design and promotion of a "Manifesto for Building a New Mie" targeted for 2010.

Mamoru Ozaki: Director-General of National Life Finance Corporation

He was born in 1935. After graduating from the Tokyo University Law Department in 1958, he joined the Ministry of Finance. After moving through the ranks as chief of the Minister's Secretariat Documents Section and then Director-General of the National Tax Administration he became Administrative Vice-Minister for Finance in 1992 and then retired from office in 1993. He then became Director-General of the People's Finance Corporation and has been Director-General of the National Life Finance Corporation since 1999. His main works are " Tax System of G7 (G7 no Zeisei)", " Speak in a Low Voice (Hikuki Koenite Katare)", "Quo Vadis (Kuo Badisu)", "Overwrite and Storage( Uwagaki Hozonn)", "Common Sense on Tax (Zeino Jyoushiki )".

What is the best way to construct new relations between the private sector, the bureaucracy, and the central and local administrations under the current severe economic and financial conditions? Mr. Ozaki, who is a past Administrative Vice-Minister of Finance, and Governor of Kitagawa, intends to generate a paradigm-shift in Japanese democracy by shifting power away from the center to prefectural governments.

At the starting point of the discussion, both were in agreement that the existing centralized administrative system will not be able to get Japan through its present difficulties. Mr. Kitagawa expressed his sense of crisis that Japan needs to create a new set of values based on a passion to create new values.

Mr. Ozaki states, "It is impossible for us to compete as a centralized system as we are diminishing in population, so the decentralization of power is one of the few clues left for Japan to achieve paradigm conversion."

Then how can we change our paradigm? Mr. Ozaki underscores the importance of changing the taxation system on the grounds that "We have to bear the expenses of what we need."

Mr. Kitagawa plans to make a breakthrough on his viewpoints stating, "We can have a full view of the optimum situation if we thoroughly separate social contradiction from local politics, making decentralization the primary goal. He continues by stating "Information disclosure" will make this breakthrough possible as residents are asked self-responsibility by information disclosure. And when discussions like "Is it advisable to leave the current situation?" are generated by sharing the information, democracy will develop.

Both agree that NPOs perform an important role in such development. The bureaucracy and the private sector will come to know each other through collaboration with NPOs and can be in communication on each issue.

Mr. Ozaki also expects much from this collaboration saying "NPOs have the power to create something new for Japan." In order to test this point, an idea has been put forward for an NPO to perform desk job duties at a local library, and Mie Prefecture reported that they are considering implementing the idea.

In collaborations with residents such as this, information disclosure for the public is an important prerequisite. Mr. Ozaki does not agree with Mr. Kitagawa that such information disclosure is a positive thing stating, "Such information includes state secrets and it is irrational to disclose these for any reason." Mr. Kitagawa criticized Mr. Ozaki saying, "Still Mr. Ozaki's remarks put too much priority on the bureaucracy's theory." Mr. Kitagawa claims "Full disclosure is the foundation for everything." These remarks demonstrate the different points of view between the center and the periphery.

This conversation is comprised of highly suggestive contents that request the government to change its point of view toward public finical reconstruction especially as it pertains to collaboration with citizens and residents.