61509 While the cry for the "age of local autonomy" has been around for a long time, it is not an overstatement to say that the arguments for decentralization have fizzled out in the past.
61510 From that perspective, we give credit to the policy outline this time as one step forward for decentralization.
61511 From now on, the focal point will be what decentralization bill will be prepared to be tabled at the Diet based on the policy outline.
61512 At present, it is expected that this bill will be proposed at the Diet by mid February, and the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Kozo Igarashi, stated in an interview with the Mainichi Newspapers that, "this bill will have to be enacted during the coming Diet session at any cost."
61513 That determination sounds great, but what is more important is the substance of the bill.
61514 During the process prior to reaching the decision, the substance of the policy outline had already been set back from the original concept due to the conflicts among the central government offices and the opposition from the parliamentarians representing special interest groups.
61515 One of the items that has been altered is the system of agency-delegated functions (ADF) which has been pointed out as local governments being the subcontractors of the central government.
61516 While the Local Government System Research Council requested to eliminate that system in principle, the policy outline simply stated that, "the system will be examined."
61517 As well, the government policy outline does not clearly state whether or not to empower the "Decentralization Promotion Office"that monitors the progress of decentralization with the supervisory and advisory functions.
61518 It is feared that resistance from the bureaucrats may further compromise the substance when the activities of passing the bill move into high gear.
61519 In conjunction with finalizing the bill, the government must take a firm stance to include the in-principle dissolution of the agency delegated function system and installment of the Decentralization Promotion Council as a powerful third-party organization.
61520 We do not need an emasculated bill.
61521 Effective this April, public schools nationwide will adopt a five-day school week schedule twice a month with the second and fourth Saturday off.
61522 As the new system will be implemented without making revisions to the existing Guidelines for the Course of Study that was established based on the six-day school week system, it is not hard to imagine that the schools are having a tough time making the new class schedules.
61523 After studying 642 elementary, junior and senior high schools that had Saturday off twice a month on an experimental basis, the collaboration council of the Ministry of Education concluded that "the twice-monthly Saturday-off system could be implemented without revising the current guidelines" which the Ministry of Education accepted and it decided to go ahead with the implementation this spring."