At least 742 bureaucrats on loan from central government institutions occupied senior posts in local governments as of Jan. 1, according to ministry and agency reports compiled by Kyodo News on Monday.
The Prime Minister's Office, 18 ministries and agencies, and the Board of Audit said, in response to an inquiry from the Japanese Communist Party, that a number of their officials are now working at a total of 129 local governments.
Among the total were 18 vice prefectural governors and 30 vice mayors originally employed by the central government.