Cabinet Office (Japan)



The Cabinet Office (内閣府) (CAO) is an agency of the Cabinet of Japan. It is responsible for handling the day-to-day affairs of the Cabinet.

The Cabinet Office is formally headed by the Prime Minister.

History
The Cabinet Office was established on 6 January 2001, following the reorganization of the central government. It was created to assist in the planning and overall coordination of government policies led by the Cabinet (including the Cabinet Secretariat). The Cabinet Office is different from other ministries and agencies, as it is installed in the Cabinet and includes several Ministers of State called Minister of State for Special Missions.

Early on, some argued it was inappropriate to use the name Cabinet Office because "it is an organization that divides and manages administrative affairs and not the cabinet itself".

The National Administrative Organization Law does not apply, and all necessary items are stipulated in the Cabinet Office Establishment Law. Since many important policy issues require cross-ministerial responses, many operations have been concentrated since the establishment of the Cabinet Office. Its presence has increased, such as its jurisdiction over certified children's educational institutions. The number of ministers in charge of extraordinary missions has increased from six at the beginning of the Cabinet Office, to nine as of April 2019.

In the Third Abe Cabinet, as a review of the work, the “Act for Partial Revision of the National Administrative Organization Act, etc. for Strengthening Functions Related to Comprehensive Coordination, etc. of the Important Policy of the Cabinet” was enacted, and future work to each ministry Transfer, etc. were established.

Jurisdiction
The Cabinet Office's function is to help the Cabinet work on important policy and streamline critical issues facing Japan into the future.

Its responsibilities extend to:


 * The Imperial Family, honorary and official systems
 * Promotion of the formation of a gender-equal society
 * Civil Activities
 * Promotion and development of Okinawa and the northern territories
 * Protection of the public from disasters
 * Promotion of fair and free competition between businesses
 * Ensuring national security
 * Identifying specific individuals in administrative procedures
 * Ensuring the proper handling of numbers, etc.
 * Ensuring appropriate functions of finance
 * Promoting measures for the realization of a society where consumers can live in a safe and secure consumer life

As such, the Cabinet Office is responsible for several agencies and internal ministries and administrations through which these responsibilities are spread.

Organization
The CO is structured as of 2014:

Bureaus

 * Ministers' Secretariat (内閣府大臣官房)
 * General Affairs Division
 * Human Resources Division
 * Accounting Division
 * Planning and coordination Division
 * Policy Evaluation and Public Relations Division
 * Public Document Management Division
 * Government Public Relations Office
 * Policy Supervisor (Economic and Fiscal Management)
 * Policy Supervisor (Economic and Social Systems)
 * Policy Supervisor (Economic and Financial Analysis)
 * Policy Supervisor (Science, Technology and Innovation)
 * Policy Supervisor (Disaster Prevention)
 * Policy Supervisor (Nuclear Disaster Prevention)
 * Policy Supervisor (Okinawa Policy Officer)
 * Policy Supervisor (Symbiotic Social Policy)
 * Awards Office
 * General Affairs Division
 * Gender Equality Bureau
 * General Affairs Division
 * Research Division
 * Promotion Division
 * Okinawa Promotion Bureau
 * General Affairs Division

Councils

 * Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy
 * Council for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy
 * Council on National Strategic Special Zones
 * Council for Central Disaster Management
 * Council for Gender Equality

Committees

 * Committee on National Space Policy
 * Committee on Promotion of Utilization of Private Funds
 * Japan Council for Medical Research and Development
 * Food Safety Committee
 * Child and Child Care Council
 * Council on Dormant Deposit Utilization
 * Committee on Official Document Management
 * Committee on Persons with Disabilities
 * Atomic Energy Commission
 * Committee on Local System Research
 * Council on Election System
 * Council on House of Representatives Election Subdivision
 * Council on Relocation of the National Diet
 * Public Interest Certification Committee
 * Reemployment Monitoring Committee
 * Retirement Allowance Examination Committee
 * Consumer Commission
 * Okinawa Promotion Council
 * Regulatory Reform Promotion Council
 * Committee on Tax Investigation

Institutions

 * Economic and Social Research Institute
 * State Guest House

Special institutions

 * Office for Promotion of Regional Revitalization
 * Secretariat of Intellectual Property Strategy Promotion
 * National Space Policy Secretariat
 * Northern Territories Affairs Administration
 * Administration for Children and Child Care
 * National Ocean Policy Secretariat
 * Financial Crisis Response Council
 * Private Fund Utilization Business Promotion Council
 * Child and Youth Development Support Promotion Headquarters
 * Declining Birthrate Society Countermeasures Council
 * Aging Society Measures Council
 * Central Traffic Safety Measures Council
 * Crime Victims Promotion Council
 * Poverty Countermeasures for Children Council
 * Consumer Policy Council
 * International Peace Cooperation Headquarters
 * Science Council of Japan
 * Public-Private Human Resources Exchange Centre
 * Nuclear Power Council

Local branch offices

 * Okinawa General Secretariat (沖縄総合事務局)

External offices

 * National Public Safety Commission
 * National Police Agency
 * Consumer Affairs Agency
 * Financial Services Agency
 * Fair Trade Commission
 * Food Safety Commission
 * Personal Information Protection Commission
 * Imperial Household Agency