天下り

• 読み: あまくだり
• ローマ字: amakudari
• 漢字の分解: 天 (ten/ama) — heaven, sky; 下 (ka/shita) — below, descent; り — nominalising suffix
• 発音: /a.ma.kɯ.da.ɾi/

意味

Descent from heaven; the practice of retired senior government officials taking lucrative positions in the private sector or in corporations they formerly regulated.

Originally a Shinto term for gods descending from heaven, 天下り acquired its modern political meaning in the postwar era. It is widely criticised as a form of institutional corruption, as regulators may soften oversight in anticipation of post-retirement employment. Reforms to curb the practice have been repeatedly attempted but achieved limited success.

例文

1. 元官僚の天下りを受け入れた企業が、不当な入札で優遇されていたことが発覚した。
2. 天下り問題は長年指摘されてきたが、抜本的な解決策はいまだ見つかっていない。
3. 国民の批判を受け、政府は天下りの規制をさらに強化する方針を打ち出した。

使い方ガイド

場面: politics, society, business, journalism, corruption

トーン: critical

起源と歴史

From 天 (heaven/sky) + 下り (descent, from 下りる). Originally a religious metaphor for divine descent; repurposed in contemporary usage to describe the perceived arrogance of bureaucrats 'descending' into powerful private sector roles.

文化的背景

時代: Postwar–Contemporary

世代: Adults

社会的背景: General