Realignment of ministries and agencies to create the Ministry of National Land and Transport
Traditionally, Japans transportation has been governed by the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Construction, and National Police Agency. The Ministry of Transport handles transportation systems, including automobiles, and oversees the development of transportation infrastructure (ports and airports) excluding roads. The Ministry of Construction is in charge of road construction and plays a key role in river management and housing policy. The National Police Agency is responsible for road safety. The government office that drafts development plans on a national scale is the National Land Agency, which has no budget for actually implementing projects. The involvement of multiple government offices in controlling the nations transportation has been criticized as too unwieldy, given Japans vertical bureaucracy. In response, the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Construction, and National Land Agency are soon to be merged into a comprehensive the National Land and Transport Ministry. This element of administrative reform will be implemented when government ministries and agencies are realigned in 2001.
