萌芽於明治時期的官僚制度，成功地將日本帶入高度發展的先進國家，並造就出 被評為「世界最強的智囊團」的日本中央官僚，到了面對二十一世紀的今天，為什麼會變成 瀆職事件頻傳，對經濟危機束手無策，一向被奉為神明似的官僚，在日本國民的心目中的地 位也竟然一落千丈﹖是環境改變的因素，使得制度不合時代潮流﹖還是制度本身出了問題﹖ 筆者試從分析日本官僚制度在執行的過程中，產生出的各種問題，探討其必須改變的癥結在 何處﹖以期更進一步瞭解日本政治發展的問題以及行政改革遲遲無法推動的原因所在。

　　　　　Having played a very important role in transforming Japan into a highly developed country, the Japanese bureaucratic system--which came into being during the Meiji restoration period--has long been lauded as the "best think-tank in the world." With the approach of the 21st century however, Japan is beginning to face both a serious economic crisis and a series of highly controversial political scandals. The bureaucratic system which had previously received great kudos has now lost the confidence of the people. This article seeks to determine whether societal and other changes in Japan made this system outdated or if the system itself had serious defects. This study will also explore how the bureaucratic system affected both Japan's political development as well as the government's failure to undertake administrative reform.