THE DEVELOPMENT OF JAPANESE LOCAL-GOVERNMENT AND ITS REFORM TOWARDS THE GLOBALIZED AGE

This brief article expects, by analysing the development of the Japane se; local government system and its future issues, to offer a referenc e point to those who are interested in Japanese local government. This article does not intend to discuss the laws and the administrative sy stem in their present form, but to place emphasis on clarifying how th ose laws and the administrative system, through the evolutionary proce ss, have contributed to the social development and subsequently to the present need for reform in Japan. We are firmly convinced of the fact that Japanese local government, having played a substantial role in r aising the national living standard and enhancing social welfare up to the present, must continue to perform a significant function in the f uture. Moreover, considering its expected impact, local government sys tem reforms that mesh with the coming global age must be strenuously p ursued.