Local Government Development in Postwar Japan

This book provides an updated and comprehensive review of the development of Japan's local government system over the past half century. It corrects the view that Japan is over-centralized by providing examples of expanding local government autonomy over time. Such examples include the success of local initiatives in anti-pollution, healthcare, and welfare policies. It also shows that gradual and controlled decentralization, as practised in Japan, has helped avoid coordination problems while providing time and resources for local governments to build capacity to undertake development projects, programmes, and planning. In so doing, it offers an alternative to the view that maximum autonomy quickly granted is the best way to develop local governments.

Ikuo Kume is Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Law at Kobe University, Japan.

Farrukh Iqbal is Regional Coordinator, East Asia Programs at the World Bank Institute, World Bank.
Michio Muramatsu is Professor in the Faculty of Law at Kyoto University, Japan.