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Ministries, agencies counted dead people, retirees to meet disabled quotas

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The committee of lawyers and other experts tasked with looking into the data padding concluded that such "sloppy handling" had existed for decades in some cases.

Sloppy handling? Not quite, it was system wide. The exposure of city offices not keeping track of the citizens in their areas and of people continuing to receive pension benefits for relatives who were 120 to 130 years old or older happened quite a number of years ago.

This was not sloppy, it was intentional, and abuse of public funds, meaning someone's head should be rolling here!

15 ( +16 / -1 )

The panel said, "There is no room for excuses. It is doubtful sincere efforts were made to promote the employment of the disabled."

Then stop making them! The disabled in Japan face enough hardships without having to deal with arsehole bureaucrats making their lives even more so.

Far too many face huge barriers, literally and figuratively speaking here, in finding gainful employment, yet these folks found it ok to falsify data for their own benefits!

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Those who cheated must be punished with stiff penalties. But I am afraid they will get away with a gesture of remorseful bows just like all other corrupt officials in the past.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

Well I guess being dead does qualify as being disabled:-/

15 ( +15 / -0 )

You once accused me of being in a rush to be first, but seems you are first more than anyone else maybe you were just angry that I'd beat you to it once

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I'm not surprised in the least. Sadly, I have come to expect this from the LDP. SOP

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Tatemae...fake...pretense... the main pillar of Japanese society.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

counted retired or even dead people in an attempt to meet legal quotas,

In Japan you even retired people still be counted for workforce. Not only that dead people also counted!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Nice to see the government leading the way in undermining it's own policies.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

I'm very happy to see that they reported this story so hopefully now they'll get things fixed properly. It just does not happen overnight.... you've got to get the right people for the various jobs too.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

God forbid you actually hire disabled people!

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Form over substance.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

YubaruToday 06:44 am JST

... meaning someone's head should be rolling here!

I imagine that's something else they'll... "give serious thought" to.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

The committee of lawyers and other experts tasked with looking into the data padding concluded that such "sloppy handling" had existed for decades in some cases.

Anyone with their finger in the pulse and eyes open know that figures are routinely fudged to meet politicians' and nationalists' agendas in Japan. And not in a small way. In Japan, form is placed far above substance. That's the model that the people of Japan tacitly choose and follow.

Where I am from function is far more important than form. In other words we walk the walk, rather than talk the talk.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

These oyajis do not seem very intelligent. This is a perfect wrong way of men's world. They need more women for ministries and agencies.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Fake Japan strikes yet again.

For a country that prides itself on manners, politeness and good behaviour, there is clearly an issue with dishonesty, fraud, and mismanagement.

I could understand it if these negative stories were always the actions of ‘rogue’ individuals, but they aren’t - it’s large groups, across many different industries, and such behaviour seems to be institutionalised.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

The committee of lawyers and other experts tasked with looking into the data padding concluded that such "sloppy handling" had existed for decades in some cases.

Another day in Japan, another fraud case (or two). However, you don't have to worry. There will be deep bows, regret will be expressed, someone will take a pay cut for a few months and the 'Wheel of Fraudtune" will keep spinning! TIJ today!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

I'm so surprised & shocked..not. Business as usual. Let's see Teflon Abe. Possibly he knew nothing about it. かな!?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Im so shocked. Omgggg!!!!! Not really. Move along now. Nothing to see here.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

So now what? More bowed heads? When is Japan going to tire of this nonsense? It's like a daily thing where the trust of the Japanese people is being abused.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

I think they did not have money or budget to implement the rules. To pursue ideals, it takes money. Within the limited number of workers and budget, if they cannot expect the same efficiency to the disabled, it cannot be helped.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

"We will give serious attention to the probe results,"

Sure you will, Suga. Sure.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Japan doesn't get irony. Here we have a investigative panel to investigate padding quotas, with 100 people on it? (or however long that table is)

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Where's the deserving spotlight on the group that keeps bringing all these malfeasance practices in business and government to light everyday of the week? The unsung heros?

8 ( +8 / -0 )

I think they did not have money or budget to implement the rules. 

I see. Neither did Olympus, Nissan Motor, Subaru, Toray Industries, Kobe Steel, Mitsubishi Materials, Aneha (in 2006) and Kayaba Machinery Systems (fake earthquake proof data both) etc, etc?

I am based in Japan since the 70's. I can make an extensive list of Japanese corporate fraud, fabrication of data and cover-ups since the last 40 years, especially and also when there was plenty of money around. Yes, I agree. It can't be helped.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Interestingly most of them come from the elite Universities in Japan, climbing the elite route to high government positions. Interesting too is that many of them are also being caught doing criminal activities. Just as interesting is that the same elite Universities are caught discriminating and fixing test results.

I wander where all this will lead to..?

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Well I guess being dead does qualify as being disabled:-/

yep and Id say a disable person is far more productive in the workforce than a dead person

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The biggest problem in Japan is that government bureaucrats make all kinds of rules and observe/watch people at the same time but bureaucrats think they do have to follow the rules and nobody can observe/watch them. Because bureaucrats always think they are much superior than ordinary people.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Japan doesn't get irony. Here we have a investigative panel to investigate padding quotas, with 100 people on it? (or however long that table is)

before I came to Japan ID always heard there was a lot of corruption in Japanese and Korean businesses, then when I came here I didnt see it as much as what the rumour were stating. Now i've come to the conclusion that Japan was just better at the Koreans at keeping it quiet and their mouths shut. The "Quality Japan" image has taken a severe beating in the last several years, irony is the whole debacle has escalated since the Olympus fiasco and it took a foreigner to make them WTFU

11 ( +11 / -0 )

REVISION

The biggest problem in Japan is that government bureaucrats make all kinds of rules and observe/watch people at the same time but bureaucrats think they do NOT have to follow the rules and nobody can observe/watch them. Because bureaucrats always think they are much superior than ordinary people.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I myself am a disabled person -- I am partially blind and cannot correct my vision to the level that most people take for granted. Coming from an automobile-dependent society, I'm very happy to be able to live in urban Japan. The tribulations of having to speak a foreign language are nothing compared to those of not having good enough eyesight to drive a car where I come from.

Where I'm left confused by this story is the seeming presumption that employers have a right to know about their employees' disabilities. My company doesn't know about mine; it's embarrassing enough without having to tell my boss and HR. The results of the humiliating and degrading health check that they make us go to every year are sent back to me sealed, so nobody will see the 0.3, or 0.4, or whatever low level my eyesight is this year.

But if there are quotas for private companies, are they going to require employees to check off a box telling them about these things? Why can't we keep them private, assuming that we can still do our jobs? For those of us who don't need any special treatment at work (all I need is extra large fonts on the computer), do we have no right to privacy?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Humans do as humans do.  This is not only a Japanese problem, it's a human cultural problem.  We just happen to see it more here because we live here.  Given a chance to gain through deception, we generally will take it.  We just have to hope that future (far in the future) generations  will eventually learn the errors of their ways. 

Don't hold your breath.

S

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The committee of lawyers and other experts tasked with looking into the data padding concluded that such "sloppy handling" had existed for decades in some cases.

Sloppy handling, my foot. They just screwed up (to put it politely) and called it that to cover themselves. Of course, there's always going to be the obligatory bow and gomen nasai. I'm sure no one will be fired. Just being shuffled around and things will go on as usual.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

It is not Japan's monopoly. How about Enron and uses of tax havens by foreign corporations?

Of course not. But that is not the point. Japan is perceived and likes to project itself as reliable, sincere and free of corruption compared to other countries. But that image is propaganda, fake news and pretence. That the reality is systemic cheating, fabrication and cover-ups, the pretense and the actual believe to be superior to other countries, that is the real scandal.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Yes - all democratic countries bureaucracies at times mis-inform, cover-up, distort, make mistakes, lie, bow down to politicians, puff themselves with self-importance, turn deaf to the citizens etc etc.

However in Japan, such acts sadly are becoming more frequent - well more frequently exposed!!!

But this takes the cake.

In a world where the disabled have been fighting for recognition, rights and acceptance for eons, Govt Inc Associates, can't do the hard yards in fulfilling their duties towards the disabled community, so they connive and lie.

This is what you get with a one party country for decades. Systemic nepotism, a contamination crippling the functions of the services designed to help the citizens.

Once again I will say it, adherents to maintaining the status quo of Japan's govt system (LDP corrupted) are the true haters of the common people, that they espouse fake support for.

And again - this takes the cake. Managing a false image while ripping off the disabled.

Drain the Swamp.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Just scrap the dumb quotas

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Press conference with weak and feeble attempts to look sorry while cameras flash a million times on the evening news...

7 ( +7 / -0 )

So now what? More bowed heads?

@black. Just one hour flight away, at least 2 PMs have jailed. In japan...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Shame on them.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Don't worry the Diet has it all under control. Now another panel of politicians will be assembled to investigate other politicians and then after that there will meetings and then a panel of politicians will be assembled to look at the results and then another meeting to report the findings of the panel and then ...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Just thinking about this, since the Mr and Mrs X Y and Z were employed by the company, there are still on the payroll, right? since they have not been paid, does that mean the company has stolen money from these people? is it fraud? firstly if Mr X has died or retired all of the money should be back dated until the point he/she WAS working, if his wife or family is still around they should receive the back payment. I can't see why or how some one can be employed by a company and NOT be on the payroll, even if they are retired, I am sorry but these companies can't have both ways,

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I wonder how the currently employed Disabled people view this ? Particularly after being bundled in the same group as dead people. Whoever came up with this miscategorization should be off to join the ranks of those visiting the "Hello Work" lines.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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