I think I've found a solution to Japan's concrete woes. Of course the best way to stop the bid rigging, boondoggles, and rampant environmental destruction would be to clean up the corruption in the government and construction industry. But let's face it, this is Japan and that's not going to happen. So I've got a modest proposal that will protect the status quo and the employment rate while helping the environment and beautifying Japan: Corrupt pork-barrel spending on environmental clean up.
Here's how it would work. Contstruction companies and environmental agencies could work together sending all those useless workers forth to demolish the bridges to nowhere and remove the concrete from riverbeds and mountain sides. Then, where necessary, they could be contracted build ecologically friendly barriers against erosion. These companies would still be able to bribe politicians for contracts and inflate costs and the Japanese public would be able to go on ignoring it. It's a win-win situation.
Of course as New York has found out, there can be a downside to cleaning up the environment.
