Inauspicious start for consumers

The Consumer Agency, which was inaugurated Sept. 1, is in a state of confusion — for which Prime Minister Taro Aso is solely to blame. He was obsessed with the idea of starting the agency on Sept. 1, about a month earlier than planned. Now, the lack of sufficient preparation is apparent.

All information related to problems affecting consumers is to be collected by the agency, which will then make recommendations to the ministries concerned. It is empowered to handle consumer-related problems not covered under existing laws.

Some 350 consumer service centers across Japan, run by local governments, were to serve as the agency's eyes and ears. But many areas don't have the centers yet due to local governments' financial difficulties. In addition, the working conditions of consumer life counselors employed at the centers are poor. Most are not permanent workers and have low salaries.

The plan to start a nationwide telephone hot-line service for consumers simultaneously with the inauguration of the agency has not materialized. Hot-line services will start in mid-September for Fukushima, Yamanashi, Shimane, Kagawa and Okinawa prefectures, but service nationwide is not expected until November at the earliest.

Personnel affairs have added to the confusion. The government appointed Mr. Shunichi Uchida, a former vice minister of the Cabinet Office, to head the agency. But the Democratic Party of Japan is opposed to Mr. Uchida serving in the position, as it says his appointment makes the agency a bureaucrat-led entity.

The DPJ is also critical of the agency operating from a privately owned building that costs taxpayers more than ¥800 million a year in rent, rather than from a government building.

Even with the DPJ in power, it may be difficult to remove Mr. Uchida, because he has been appointed by due process, and as a public servant, his position is legally protected. The DPJ, therefore, should concentrate on helping the agency function properly and giving it more power, including the authority to confiscate profits accrued by fraudulent business practices.