業界団体のあり方
最近何かと忙しく、ブログ更新の時間が取れない。よって、最近書いた会報誌原稿を添付させていただきます。あしからず。
「業界団体のあり方」 会長 松谷 廣信
新年あけましておめでとうございます。今年の年明けは、小春日和を思わせるような穏やかな日和となり、一年の計を立てるに相応しい晴れ晴れとした気持ちで、新年を迎える事が出来ました。会員の皆様はいかがでしたでしょうか。今年一年、この年明けのように穏やかな年になるよう願わずにはいられません。
表題を、「業界団体のあり方」と、大上段に構えましたが、表題に相応しい内容になるかは、いささか不安ですが、私なり考察し、新年の挨拶にかえさせて頂きたく思います。
現在日本に調査業（探偵、興信）の団体はいったい何団体あるでしょうか。私が知る限り、全国団体としては（一社）日本調査業協会、ＮＰＯ法人全国調査業協会連合会、全国調査業協同組合の３団体があり、それぞれ地方協会を設けているが、上部組織を持たない地域団体も多くあり、ざっと数えただけでも30団体は下らない。しかし、これほど多くの団体が組織されているにも関わらず、いずれの団体にも所属しない調査会社が全体の80％近くを占めるのでは無いかと思われる。
何故これほど未加入企業が多いのか・・。それは、この業界の特殊性にある様に思う。歴史的には、興信、探偵業は明治初期に早くも企業組織として存在し、近代国家建設と相まって成長して来たにもかかわらず、昭和50年ころまでは業界団体らしきものは存在しなかった。何故なのか、それは私なりに考えるに、業そのものが忍者、影武者的な存在との認識を持つものが多く、この業は表に出るべきではない、との考え方を自任していた傾向があり、業界団体などもっての他的思考にあった様である。それが昭和40年代後半から大々的に広告を打って、一般大衆からの調査を受ける、所謂、大衆調査会社と呼ばれる企業が急激に増え、若手経営者の台頭も目立ち、それらの中に団体結成を標榜する動きが出てきたものである。ただ、団体は結成されたが、一匹狼的経営者が多い業界故、考え方も様々で団体運営での意見衝突も多々あり、結果的には離合集散を繰り返し、前述の通り、団体数は多いが組織率は低迷する現状にあるのではと考えている。
一方、団体そのものにも、疑問を感じざるを得ないような状況で、何を目的に組織されているのか判然としない所さえある。
私は、昭和56年、当時４団体と云われた内の一つ、調友会に入会し、以来３5年の長きに亘り団体活動に係って来ている。しかし、満足の行く活動が出来た年は１年としてなく、満足できる結果をみた活動もない。だからと言って、この団体活動歴が私にとって徒労であったかと云えば、決してそんな事は無い。活動を通じ、多くの業界人と知り合え、生涯付き合える友も得た。また、同和差別調査根絶に向けての運動では、世間の評価は兎も角として、私が関係した団体の中では、１００％根絶する事ができ、「人事調査は差別につながる」などと云わせることを許さない、毅然とした態度で、人事調査を行える基盤が出来たと確信している。ただ、それは自己満足の世界であり、行政や社会からそれが認められたかと云えば、全くそうでは無い。厚生労働省や地方行政の労働部などは、昭和50年の地名総監事件時の状態が未だに続いているかの如く、採用時の調査は差別につながるとして、「絶対に行わないでください」との指導を未だに続けている。此のことについて、昨年来、私は、厚生労働省との話し合いの場が持ちたく、業界団体一丸となって、この問題に取り組むべく、関西総合調査業協会及び全国調査業協会連合会を基盤に活動を続けているが、未だ途半ばである。
各業界団体は、その何れもが「自主規制と社会的地位の向上」を目指して活動しており、会員の自主規制によって不祥事を無くし、業界の社会的認知度を高め、信用ある調査業界を築こうとしている。しかし、自主規制面では、意見の衝突や食い違いが生じ、総意を得るに時間と労力を要するのは理解できるが、目的を一にする外向けの活動は、歩調を合わせ積極的に取り組んでいきたいものである。
この関調協も全調協も組織率は極めて低調であるが、他団体も同様に会員減少に歯止めがかからず、近年、業界の組織率は低下の一途をたどっている様である。その背景には、市況の問題など色々あるが、一番の問題は業界団体の魅力の無さでは無かろうか・・。統計をとった訳ではないが、入会のメリット、会費、人間関係、競業問題など色々と理由はあるが、一番多く聞かれるのが、「何をしているのかサッパリ判らない」と云うことである。正直、これを云われると耳が痛い。それは、私だけでなく他団体の役員メンバーの皆もそうではないかと思う。各団体共に内向きの問題に労力をとられ、団体としての本来の活動が何処まで出来ているのか、大いに疑問である。特に外向けの活動は乏しく、行政からの指導や指示の言いなりで、業界の意見を上申することはせず、未だ苞かぶり体質から抜け切れずにいるように思う。
団体としての組織率を上げる方策の第一は、先ず魅力ある団体に成る事である。その為には、会員にとってのメリットを考え、具体化する事では無かろうか。親睦は勿論であるが、交互調査や調査手法の研究や情報提供、また営業面の後方支援（社会的認知度）など様々にあるが、第一は、業界を取り巻く環境の改善である。所謂、興信、探偵業の必要性、人事調査の正当性を社会に訴え、調査の仕事が社会の秩序維持、事件事故の未然防止、各種トラブルの解決や防止にいかに役立っているかと云うことを広く知らしめる事である。また、自主規制の問題では、苦情処理に努め、業界のモラル向上に寄与する努力を惜しまず継続する事ではなかろうか。
私は業界活動に首を突っ込んだ当初から、業界団体の一本化を標榜し、常にその事を念頭に活動してきたつもりであるが、実際は離合集散の繰り返しで、一本化の話はあれど現実に実を結ぶ事は無く現在に至っている。ただ、その足掛かりとして、外向けの活動で思いを一にし、共に行動する事により、内向きの問題の解決にもつながるのでは無いかと強く思っている。そこで、今年こそは、その一環として、「採用時の身元調査は絶対に行わないで下さい」との行政指導に対し、業界団体としての考え方をまとめ、関係省庁との意見交換の場を設けて頂けるよう、活動する覚悟ですので、ご協力の程宜しくお願い致します。
I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to update my blog. Therefore, I would like to attach the manuscript of the bulletin that I wrote recently. No offense.
Hironobu Matsutani, Chairman
Happy New Year to you all! The beginning of the new year was a gentle day that reminded me of a mild spring day, and I was able to greet the new year with a clear feeling that was appropriate for making plans for the year. How did members feel about it? I can’t help but hope that this year will be as peaceful as the beginning of the year.
I am a little uneasy about whether it will be a content suitable for the title, but I would like to consider it myself and return it to the New Year’s greeting.
How many investigative organizations (detectives and intrigue agencies) are there in Japan today? As far as I know, there are three national organizations: the Japan Association of Surveyors, the National Federation of Surveyors’ Associations, and the National Surveyors’ Cooperative Association, each of which has its own regional association, but there are also many regional organizations that do not have a superintendent organization. However, despite the fact that so many organizations have been organized, it seems that nearly 80% of all research companies do not belong to any one organization.
Why are there so many companies that have not joined? I think it’s a peculiarity of this industry. Historically, the entertainment and detective industry existed as a corporate organization as early as the early Meiji era, and although it grew in tandem with the construction of a modern nation, there was no such thing as an industry association until around 1975. There is a tendency that there are many things with the recognition that the industry itself is a ninja and the existence of a shadow warrior, and this industry should not go out to the surface, and the idea of the self-directed tendency, and it seems to have been in the other thought such as an industry association when it thinks to me why. From the latter half of the 1960s, the number of so-called “public research companies,” or “mass survey companies,” which were subject to surveys from the general public, increased dramatically, as did the rise of young managers, and a movement to advocate the formation of organizations among these companies emerged. However, since there are many lone wolf managers in the industry, there are a lot of conflicts of opinion in the management of the group, and as a result, there are many groups, but the organization rate is low.
On the other hand, even the organization itself is in such a situation that one can’t help but wonder what the purpose of the organization is.
I became a member of the Association in 1981, one of what was then called four organizations, and have been involved in its activities for 35 years since then. However, there has not been a single year in which we have been able to carry out any satisfactory activities, nor have we seen any activities with satisfactory results. However, I don’t think it’s been an exhausting experience for me. Through these activities, I have met many people in the industry and have made lifelong friends. In addition, I am convinced that the campaign for the eradication of the Dowa discrimination investigation, regardless of the public’s evaluation, has been able to eradicate 100% of the organizations I have been involved in, and has created a foundation for conducting personnel investigations with a resolute attitude that does not allow people to say, “Personnel investigations lead to discrimination. However, it is a world of self-satisfaction, and if the government and society recognize it, it is not at all like that. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the labour departments of local administrations are still instructing people not to carry out investigations at the time of hiring, as if the situation is still the same as it was in 1975, when the inspector general of the place names was found. Since last year, I have been working with the Kansai Association of Surveyors and the National Federation of Surveyors’ Associations to address this issue in a concerted effort to have a forum for discussion with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, but we are still in the middle of the process.
All of the industry associations are working to “self-regulate and improve their social status”, and they are trying to eliminate scandals, raise the public profile of the industry, and build a credible investigative industry by self-regulating their members. However, in terms of self-regulation, it is understandable that there are conflicts of opinion and disagreements, and it takes time and effort to reach a consensus, but we would like to be proactive and keep pace with external activities that have a single goal.
The organization rate of both Kancho and Zenkyou has been extremely low, but other organizations have not been able to stop the decline in membership, and the organization rate of the industry seems to be on the decline in recent years. In the background, there are various market problems, but the most important problem is the lack of attractiveness of the industry association. I don’t have any statistics, but there are many reasons for joining, such as the merits of membership, membership fees, human relations, and competition problems. To be honest, it hurts my ears when you say this. I’m sure that’s not just me, but all of the board members of other organizations as well. It is very doubtful how far they are able to go in their original activities as an organization with all the effort they put into inward-looking issues. It seems to me that the industry is still stuck in a bracture, with little activity, especially for the outside world, at the mercy of the government’s guidance and instructions, and without appealing to the opinions of the industry.
The first way to increase the rate of organization is to become an attractive organization. In order to do so, I think it is important to think about the benefits for the members and make it concrete. There are, of course, fellowship, but the first is the improvement of the environment surrounding the industry, although there are a variety of ways to research and provide information on alternating surveys and survey methods, as well as logistical support on the sales side (social recognition). The purpose of this project is to promote the necessity of detective work and the legitimacy of personnel investigations to the public, and to show how investigative work helps to maintain order in society, prevent accidents and incidents, and resolve and prevent various problems. In addition, with regard to the issue of self-regulation, I think that we should continue to make efforts to handle complaints and make efforts to contribute to the improvement of morale in the industry.
I have been advocating the unification of industry groups since I first plunged into industry activities and have always intended to keep this in mind, but in reality we have been repeatedly separated and consolidated, and although there has been talk of unification, it has never actually come to fruition. However, as a foothold for this, I strongly believe that by uniting our thoughts and acting together in outward activities, we can solve inward-looking problems. Therefore, this year, as a part of that, we are prepared to act as an industry organization to summarize our thoughts on the administrative guidance “Please do not conduct a background check at the time of recruitment” and to provide a place for the exchange of opinions with related ministries and agencies.
