When the Board of Audit investigated the "PFI project" that utilizes private funds and know-how for the operation of public facilities, there were more than 2,300 cases in 26 projects where appropriate services were not provided according to the contract. The Board of Audit asked the agency in the contracting country to prevent recurrence.
The Board of Audit, which inspects how the national budget is used, investigated the "PFI projects" contracted by institutions in 11 countries, including the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, from FY2002 to FY2018.
As a result, it was found that there were 2367 cases of “default” in 26 out of 57 businesses, in which proper services were not provided according to the contract.
The most common project was related to the Shimane Asahi Social Rehabilitation Promotion Center, a prison in Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture, which is operated by the Ministry of Justice under contract with a private business operator. There were a total of 722 cases, including the loss of personal belongings.
According to the Ministry of Justice, "Human error is unavoidable, but the number of cases is declining, and we will instruct private businesses to identify the cause and take action."
The Board of Audit has called on the agency in the contracting country to make improvements to prevent recurrence, saying that some of the businesses surveyed have repeatedly defaulted on similar debts.