Decentralization in Japan

The democratization that took place in Japan over the latter half of the twentieth century led to local governments achieving a degree of autonomy that allowed them to manage aspects of public policy in such areas as regional development, welfare, environmental development, and government information disclosure. As these local authorities increasingly became active players in the policymaking process, rather than mere central government agents, they came to influence national public policy and governance. The subsequent decentralization reforms are part of the broader public-sector reforms of the 1990s. During the last decade of the twentieth century, the government of Japan achieved a significant degree of decentralization, the high point of which was the 1999 Omnibus Law of Decentralization. As a result, a new relationship was established among the branches of government, with the central government ceding some control over local affairs. This chapter assesses the degree of decentralization achieved to date, as well as the challenges that await those seeking further decentralization. THE ADMINISTRATION In this country of 47 prefectures, some 3,200 municipal governments serve a population of 126 million. The central government is divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The executive branch comprises the prime minister and his cabinet; the legislative branch, the Diet or bicameral parliament; and the judicial branch, the Supreme Court, under which there are no specialized courts. Local self-government, guaranteed by the Constitution of 1947, provides for directly elected governors, mayors, and assembly members. At the local-government level, authorities have a wide range of functions and fiscal responsibilities; a fusion of responsibility an