Government Reform Day

What Is Government Reform Day?

Every October 6th is "Government Reform Day" (役所改革の日, Yakusho Kaikaku no Hi) in Japan. On October 6, 1969, Matsudo City (松戸市) in Chiba Prefecture established Japan's first "Sugu Yaru Ka" (すぐやる課, "Do-It-Right-Away Section") — a municipal department dedicated to responding immediately to citizen requests and complaints, cutting through bureaucratic delays that typically slowed government responses to practical citizen needs. The department became a nationwide sensation, symbolizing a new approach to citizen-centered local government.

The "Do-It-Right-Away" Department

The Sugu Yaru Ka was established by Matsudo City Mayor Yasu Matsumoto (松本清) in response to citizen frustration with bureaucratic delays — the common experience of requests being passed between departments, requiring multiple visits, and taking weeks to resolve matters that could logically be handled immediately. The new department was empowered to act on citizen requests immediately — clearing storm drains, repairing street hazards, removing dangerous fallen trees — without waiting for routine administrative scheduling. The department's name itself was a statement of intent: "we do it right away."

Impact on Japanese Public Administration

The Matsudo Sugu Yaru Ka became a model for citizen-centered government reform across Japan. Dozens of cities established similar departments, and the concept of "Sugu Yaru Ka" entered Japanese administrative vocabulary as shorthand for responsive, action-oriented local government. The episode reflects a broader theme in Japanese local government reform: the tension between bureaucratic procedure and citizen service, and the extraordinary impact that one innovative local government initiative can have on national practice.

Local Government Innovation in Japan

Japan's system of 47 prefectures and approximately 1,700 municipalities provides numerous independent arenas for policy experimentation. Local governments regularly pioneer new approaches to service delivery, urban planning, and citizen engagement that subsequently spread nationally — a dynamic of policy learning that has been an important engine of administrative improvement in Japan's postwar governance.

Fun Facts

• Mayor Matsumoto: Matsudo Mayor Matsumoto Kiyoshi (松本清) was simultaneously the founder of the Matsumoto Kiyoshi drugstore chain (マツモトキヨシ) — one of Japan's largest pharmacy chains, named after him — making him the unusual combination of a successful retail entrepreneur and innovative local government administrator.
• Still operating: Matsudo City's original Sugu Yaru Ka continues to operate over 50 years after its 1969 founding — demonstrating that genuinely useful administrative innovations can achieve remarkable longevity.