Roles and Responsibilities of Politicians and Bureaucrats
Agreed at the Ministerial Conference
of 16 September 2009
It is necessary to review the relationship between politicians and bureaucrats and
establish leadership by politicians in order to bring about democracy in the truest sense.
The fundamental principle guiding both politicians and bureaucrats is that of committing
their full efforts to the realisation of the public interest, as have been set forth for some time in
the Rules Governing Ministers, Senior Vice Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries, Ethical
Practices for Politicians, and the National Public Service Ethics Code. On the basis of this
fundamental approach, the following has been compiled as guidelines for the Cabinet to
undertake in the near future, with an aim of having an appropriate segregation of duties and
cooperative relationship between politicians and bureaucrats.
The specific responses at each ministry will be based on the judgement and instructions
of the minister, in keeping with these guidelines.
1. Fundamental Understanding
[1] As persons having the power to legislate and who represent the people, politicians will
carry out their responsibility for oversight, to ensure that public administration is
conducted impartially and neutrally. In addition, under the parliamentary system they
will join the government as ministers, senior vice ministers, parliamentary secretaries,
etc. (hereinafter, “minister/ ministers etc.”) and responsibly formulate, coordinate and
decide upon policies for pub