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Osaka city this week announced changes to its allowances system for prefectural governors and other civil servants. The announcement has made winners and losers of some high-profile political figures.
The new system, which came into effect on Dec 1, applies to employees who took up their positions from Nov 1.
Ichiro Matsui, 47, the newly sworn in prefectural governor of Osaka, stands to receive 730,000 yen in allowances for having served in his new position for less than three months, TBS reports. For his services as an Osaka prefectural assembly member before the election he qualifies to receive 1.7 million yen.
However, Toru Hashimoto, 42, resigned as prefectural governor on Oct 31, making him ineligible for the new allowances, TBS said. Financial experts say that had he extended his term of service by just one day he would have stood to receive around 1.9 million yen of taxpayers' money.
© Japan Today
17 Comments
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Yubaru
I don't think it bothers him all that much, it's not like the guy is hurting for cash.
However in today's poor economic climate here in Japan I think giving bonuses to elected officials is one place that the government, local and national as well should cut to zero anyway.
Not everyone gets a bonus and to those who don't, and who have to pay taxes I think it's a slap in their (our) faces to give them our hard earned money for the generally crappy jobs they do in the first place.
I would really appreciate someone telling me what an elected official does in the first place that even makes them think they should qualify for a bonus anyway?!?!?
MaboDofuIsSpicy
I think the whole bonus thing should be scrapped. I do not get one so why should others?
tokyokawasaki
If you perform well and add real value for your employers/customers, then yes you deserve a bonus.
However, the mind boggling Japanese system of staff getting/expecting a bonus just for turning up to work is ridiculous.
johninnaha
Why on Earth do civil servants get a bonus???
This is nuts!
amerijap
Is it his intension not to grab the stipends for the sake of his manifest, or did he simply forget about it?
Riffraff
Huge bonuses collected by government workers are living proof that when you are in charge of setting salaries, you can pay yourself whatever you want.
papigiulio
Wow 1.9 million yen for 1 day. Im clearly in the wrong business.
Dennis Bauer
where can i sign up?
Serrano
@johninnaha
The bonus is an integral part of their salary, can you believe that?
nath
Government to raise the consumption tax, unending road construction going on everywhere I see and what seems to be an over abundance of civil service workers at the city halls and other such places peeking at their PCs makes me wonder if they all go laughing their way to the banks with their bonuses.
Hategobo
Bonuses are a way to control people , ensuring you have an abundance of "Yes" men and "nodding dogs"
Julian Onyali
What a shame.
tmarie
For all those who go on and on about how Hashimoto and his little side kick are going to clean up Osaka and the debt, are they going to address WHY these people are getting bonuses? Doubt it.
johninnaha
Serrano -
I find this very difficult to believe.
What do these guys do anyway?
The only time you hear from them is at election time and when one of them says something really goofy.
This warrants a bonus?
wtfjapan
Bonuses are just another way for business to have greater control of employees salaries, sorry bad year small bonus and vise versa. oh and for management to give themselves a big lump sum of cash in one go.