THE ASAHI SHIMBUN2009/1/30
Bending to public criticism, Prime Minister Taro Aso pledged Thursday to ban central government ministries from finding one cushy post-retirement job after another for senior bureaucrats.
The job-hopping practice, which earns them huge retirement money each time, is known as watari.
Aso told a Lower House plenary session he took note of public criticism and did not plan to approve any requests to find jobs that "may arise in the future."
A government ordinance approved late last year by the Aso Cabinet would have allowed the prime minister to approve such requests.
Aso indicated he will not accept growing calls to eliminate the ordinance.
But he said he will not authorize his ministries to hand out post-retirement jobs to senior bureaucrats.(IHT/Asahi: January 30, 2009)
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