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Each of Japan's prefectures has a statistics section within its own prefectural government. The statistics section is in charge of not only providing statistical services to the prefecture or municipality but also supervising the field operations of major statistical surveys of the national government, such as those of the MIC or the Economic Planning Agency. Because of the importance of the latter responsibility,the cost of employing the statistical staff of the statistics sections of the prefectures is borne by the national government.
All the costs for employing the statistical staff of these local statistics sections are included in the budget of the Bureau. Every fiscal year, the Bureau distributes funds to the prefectures as entrusted expenses. As there has been a steady movement toward rationalization in the government, the number has been reduced every year, in line with the personnel reduction plan for the national government.
For large-scale surveys such as the Population Census, the Establishment and Enterprise Census, and other censuses and large sample surveys, the municipal ities are involved in field operations under the guidance of the prefectural statistics section. In most municipalities, there is no independent section specializing in statistics. In such municipalities, sections in charge of general affairs,finance, commerce and industry, planning or public relations take charge of statistical services.
The cost of maintaining the statistical staff in these municipalities is included in grants from the national government to the municipalities which are part of the local grant tax system.
Certain statistical surveys of the national government do not have their field operations supervised by the statistics sections of the prefectures or the sections of the municipalities in charge of statistics. For example, the field work of the Vital Statistics Survey is supervised by the prefectural sections responsible for health and welfare administration. This is because such a survey has a special purpose and procedure, and it can be best handled by sections specializing in the relevant administrative field.
