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1 – 3 of 3The purpose of this paper is to explain a new scandal ingredient in Japanese politics called sontaku. This word refers to cases when officials grant special treatment to a project…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain a new scandal ingredient in Japanese politics called sontaku. This word refers to cases when officials grant special treatment to a project because they believe they are acting in accordance with the wishes of an associated powerful person.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes the specific construction of major scandals involving sontaku from 2017 based primarily on newspaper accounts, examines the consequences of these scandals for politicians and bureaucrats, and discusses their implications for combating corruption in Japan.
Findings
The scandals after 2017 damaged to some extent the public support for the current Japanese administration and influenced the prime minister's decision to call a snap election. The scandals also highlighted systematic problems in the bureaucracy and motivated the government to reform laws concerning the management of public documents.
Originality/value
This paper will be useful to scholars and policy makers interested in studying the causes and consequences of scandals and political corruption in Japan.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to compare and evaluate how the governments in six Asian countries have dealt with selected grand corruption scandals.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare and evaluate how the governments in six Asian countries have dealt with selected grand corruption scandals.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on the comparative analysis of 11 corruption scandals examined in the six articles on India, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore included in this special issue of Public Administration and Policy.
Findings
The responses of the governments in the six countries depend on the strength of their political will in combating corruption. The responses of the governments in Malaysia, Philippines, India and Japan reflect their weak political will in combating corruption and lack of accountability of the corrupt offenders. By contrast, the strong political will of the governments in Singapore and Macau is reflected in the investigation and punishment of the corrupt offenders without any cover-up of the scandals.
Originality/value
The findings would be of interest to scholars, policymakers and anti-corruption practitioners and activists.