Local government is also called the “school of democracy” and is a system through which residents participate in the government of their own communities.
Basic Knowledge
Local public entities consist of prefectures and municipalities (including special wards). In each, residents choose the assembly (local assembly) and the chief executive (governor, mayor, or town/village head) through direct elections. This is called the dual representative system and differs from the national parliamentary cabinet system.
Main services include resident registration, firefighting, waste disposal, school education, welfare, and management of public facilities. Sources of revenue include local taxes (independent revenue), local allocation tax (from the national government, unrestricted in use), national subsidies (restricted in use), and local government bonds (borrowing).
Residents have direct initiative rights: requesting the enactment, revision, or abolition of ordinances (at least 1/50 of eligible voters), dissolution of the assembly or recall of the chief executive/assembly members (at least 1/3), and requests for audits (at least 1/50).
Local autonomy (residents governing their own local area; Article 92 of the Constitution)
Dual representative system (a system in which residents separately and directly elect the assembly and chief executive)
Ordinance (a rule for a particular local government enacted by its local assembly)
Local allocation tax (distributed by the national government to adjust fiscal disparities among local governments; unrestricted in use)
National subsidy (a subsidy paid by the national government for a specified purpose)
Direct initiative right (the right of residents to request ordinances, recalls, and other actions)
Further Study (Background and Significance)
Before World War II, the system of local autonomy was inadequate, and the central government held strong powers. After the war, the Local Autonomy Act (1947) was enacted, establishing the principles of resident autonomy and organizational autonomy.
The Omnibus Decentralization Act of 1999 abolished the system of agency-delegated functions and expanded the powers of local governments. In the 2000s, municipal mergers (the Great Heisei Mergers) progressed, reducing the number of municipalities from more than 3,200 to about 1,700. New systems for resident participation, such as the hometown tax donation system (2008), have also emerged. The independent development of local areas, or regional revitalization, remains an issue.
- Local autonomy is the “school of democracy” (Bryce)
- Dual representative system = the assembly and chief executive are elected separately
- Eligibility for governor or mayor = governor, age 30; mayor, age 25
- Ordinances = enacted by local assemblies within the scope of laws
- Local allocation tax = unrestricted use; national subsidies = specified use
- Direct initiatives = 1/50 for ordinances; 1/3 for recalls
- Local Autonomy Act in 1947; Omnibus Decentralization Act in 1999
Points to Note (Easily Confused)
① Distinguish local allocation tax (unrestricted use) from national subsidies (specified use). ② Do not confuse ordinances (enacted by local assemblies) with laws (enacted by the National Diet). ③ Required signatures for direct initiatives: 1/50 for ordinances and audits, and 1/3 for recalls and assembly dissolution. ④ Understand the difference between the dual representative system (local government) and the parliamentary cabinet system (national government).
Practice
- Which thinker called local autonomy the “school of democracy”?
- What fraction of eligible voters’ signatures is required to request the enactment, revision, or abolition of an ordinance?
- Explain the difference between local allocation tax and national subsidies.