Iceberg of misused funds?
(From The Japan Times Oct. 24 issue)

自治体不正経理、氷山の一角か

The Board of Audit has found that 12 prefectures misused subsidies from the central government worth some ¥550 million over five years from fiscal 2002 through fiscal 2006. The subsidies were mostly from the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, and the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry. The findings may be just the tip of an iceberg since the board randomly selected the 12 prefectures for audits of subsidies coming mainly from the two ministries. If projects carried out independently by the prefectures are included, the misused amount reaches ¥1.13 billion.

Aichi Prefecture was found to have misused the largest amount of subsidies — about ¥130 million. (If its own projects are included, the misused amount reaches some ¥300 million.) Next was Iwate (¥115 million) followed by Hokkaido (¥60 million), Nagano (¥51 million), Wakayama (¥50 million), Kyoto (¥49.3 million), Fukushima (¥33 million), Gifu (¥31.8 million) and Aomori (¥25 million). Gunma, Oita and Tochigi misused about ¥9.8 million to ¥20 million.

These prefectures used subsidies for purposes different from the central government's intention — like business trips for prefectural government officials and employment of part-time workers for activities or projects the subsidies were not aimed at. Some prefectures placed fictitious orders to businesses, pooled the money at the companies, then used it for other purposes the next fiscal year, for example, to purchase personal computers.

Prefectural governments have not learned from the past. In its 1996-98 probe, the Board of Audit found that 23 prefectures had committed accounting irregularities worth a total of ¥43 billion.

The board should carry out similarly thorough audits of other prefectures and major cities, as well as subsidies from other ministries. Ministries should rethink their subsidy policy so that local governments can use the funds more freely, within limits, but more honestly while ensuring transparency of use.

会計検査院の調査で、12都道府県の不正経理が発覚、06年度までの5年間で主に国土交通省、農林水産省からの補助金約5億5千万円が不適切に処理されていた。調査結果は抽出された都道府県への主に2省からの補助金に対するもので、氷山の一角ともいえる。自治体単独事業を含めると総額10億円を超えるという。不正額は愛知県1億3千万円を筆頭に、岩手、北海道、長野、和歌山、京都、福島、岐阜、青森と続く。

職員の出張旅費やアルバイト雇用など、補助金は国の定めたものとは別の使途に使われた。架空の発注をして業者に代金をプールし、次の会計年度でパソコン購入に充てた自治体もある。

会計検査院は他の自治体も含め徹底的な調査をすべきだ。運用の透明性を高めつつ自治体が規定範囲内でより自由に使途を決められるよう府省の補助金政策の見直しも求められる。