Japan
Public Finance Act (財政法, Zaiseihō) 1947 and Board of Audit Act (会計検査院法) 1947
Public Finance Act (Act No. 34/1947); Board of Audit Act (Act No. 73/1947); Public Accounting Act (Act No. 35/1947); Act on Access to Information Held by Administrative Organs (Act No. 42/1999, in force 2001); Constitution of Japan Arts. 83-91 (Chapter VII Finance, 1947)
Japan's fiscal transparency framework rests on a strong constitutional foundation (Arts. 83-91, 1947) with the Public Finance Act (Act No. 34/1947) as the primary budget statute and the Board of Audit Act (Act No. 73/1947) establishing one of the world's most constitutionally entrenched SAIs. The Board of Audit (会計検査院) — independent of Cabinet, Diet, and Courts — requires bicameral Diet consent for commissioner appointments and conducts financial, compliance, and performance audits of all state accounts and subsidized entities. Japan's OBS 2021 transparency score of 61 sits at the bare adequacy threshold, reflecting strengths in budget preparation and audit independence but weaknesses in public participation (score: 20) and audit-stage citizen engagement. Japan has no independent fiscal institution (IFI); the Cabinet Office CEFP (経済財政諮問会議) is an executive advisory body. The Whistleblower Protection Act (2004, amended 2020/2022) covers fiscal irregularity reporting. The Fiscal Investment and Loan Programme (FILP) represents a large off-budget capital financing vehicle (~5-10% of GDP) submitted to the Diet alongside the main budget. Japan has no PEFA assessment (consistent with high-income OECD pattern). Currency: JPY. Fiscal year: April 1 - March 31. OECD member since 1964. IMF member.
Transparency Requirements
Budget Publicationmax 12 pts
| Budget publication required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Budget published online | ✓ Yes |
| Budget publication timeline | 90 days before fiscal year |
| Machine-readable budget format | No |
| Draft budget required before adoption | ✓ Yes |
Expenditure Disclosuremax 12 pts
| Expenditure disclosure required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Expenditure granularity | department |
| Public expenditure portal required | ✓ Yes |
| Expenditure reporting frequency | monthly |
Independent Auditmax 12 pts
| Audit required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Auditor independent of entity | ✓ Yes |
| Auditor selection method | appointed independent |
| Audit frequency | annual |
| Audit reports public | ✓ Yes |
| Audit scope | financial performance |
Contract & Procurementmax 10 pts
| Public bidding required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Contract publication required | ✓ Yes |
| Bid award disclosure | No |
| Beneficial ownership disclosure | No |
Debt & Liability Disclosuremax 10 pts
| Debt disclosure required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Pension liability disclosure | No |
| Contingent liability disclosure | No |
| Voter approval required for new debt | No |
Fiscal Reporting Frequencymax 10 pts
| Interim reporting required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Interim reporting frequency | monthly |
| Year-end report deadline | 245 days after fiscal year |
| Citizens budget required | No |
Enforcement & Oversightmax 10 pts
| Non-compliance penalties | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Fiscal oversight body | No |
| Whistleblower protections | ✓ Yes |
| Legislative budget office | No |
Revenue & Tax Transparencymax 8 pts
| Tax expenditure reporting | No |
|---|---|
| Revenue forecasting required | ✓ Yes |
| Tax rate publication | ✓ Yes |
| Fee schedule publication | ✓ Yes |
Compensation & Payrollmax 8 pts
| Salary disclosure required | No |
|---|---|
| Salary disclosure scope | — |
| Pension benefit disclosure | No |
| Overtime reporting | No |
Capital & Asset Disclosuremax 8 pts
| Capital plan required | ✓ Yes |
|---|---|
| Asset inventory required | No |
| Surplus asset disposal transparency | No |