Two-thirds of the 375 former high-ranking officials who left the government in 1998 have obtained posts in public corporations tied to their former government ministry or agency, according to official documents.
Documents released by ministries and agencies at the request of the Japanese Communist Party and others show that 242 of the civil servants who switched jobs did so through what can be interpreted as "amakudari," or descent from heaven.
According to the documents, of the 375 who got new jobs, 72 were officials at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, while 41 came from the Transport Ministry and 29 from the Defense Agency.
The 375 officials covered in the documents had held the post of section chief or higher. Some 82 officials found posts in private companies, while 84 obtained jobs in special corporations and 158 in public corporations.
In many cases, the former officials took posts as "advisers," while 53 became chairpersons of semipublic and public companies, according to the documents.
Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Co. headed the list of private-sector destinations favored by government officials by hiring three.
No Finance Ministry officials landed jobs at private banks, but many found posts in the Japan Development Bank and Small Business Finance Corp., while Defense Agency chiefs found posts at top contracting companies for Self-Defense Forces equipment, such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries.
Unlike past surveys released by the National Personnel Authority, which in 1998 listed only 30 officials who "descended from heaven" into public-service corporations, Sunday's figures include private-sector companies with close links to government agencies.
Next year, the government is expected to release the names and posts of former government officials who switch jobs during fiscal 2000.