Abstract: In response to changes in the times and the economic and social environment, Japan has established the basic norms for civil servants which “put the nation first”, and the basic professional competencies for civil servants that are politically neutral, fair and impartial in administration. Based on the values of democracy and efficiency, the core and fundamental elements of the national civil service capacity construction in Japan are the development of the so-called “standard job performance capabilities”and the improvement of personnel administration to meet the changes in administrative needs. Civil service capacity construction is regarded as fundamental in civil service, and has been applied to many civil service management policies. Based on the analysis of the development and current practice of civil service capacity construction in Japan, this paper summarizes the general characteristics and system framework of the national civil service governance capacity in Japan, and further analyzes its future development trend to provide reference for the reform and development in China.

Key words: civil service management, standard job execution capability, realism, personnel evaluation