Japan Press Weekly

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2012 April 11 - 17 [CIVIL RIGHTS]

Hashimoto: City workers should curry favor with me

Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru on April 13 stated, “City employees only have to be sensitive to my demands,” violating the Japanese Constitution requiring all public officials to be servants of the whole community.

This remark was made at a City Assembly finance and internal affairs committee meeting when Japanese Communist Party representative Yamanaka Tomoko questioned the mayor about an ordinance bill authorizing the governor’s domination and control over public workers.

Hashimoto answered, “(City workers should) pay close attention to my wishes and run the city office according to my policies.” This shed light on what the ordinance bill aims to achieve.

Yamanaka pointed out that on April 2 at an initiation ceremony for newly hired city workers, Hashimoto said that public employees are “in the position to give orders to the public.”

Criticizing this remark, she said, “The mayor’s remark shows his disdain for the opinions of residents. What the mayor has in mind is totally different from the ideal of public officials that work for the public good.”

Yamanaka urged Hashimoto to retract the ordinance bill which goes against the Local Public Service Act as well as the Constitution.