The Local Autonomy Law (地方自治法 Chihō-jichi-hō) of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 was passed as Law No. 67 on April 17, 1947, an Act of Devolution

Devolution

Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level. Devolution can be mainly financial, e.g. giving areas a budget which was formerly administered by central government...

 that established most of Japan's contemporary local government structures, including prefectures

Prefectures of Japan

The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...

, municipalities

Municipalities of Japan

Japan has three levels of government: national, prefectural, and municipal. The nation is divided into 47 prefectures. Each prefecture consists of numerous municipalities. There are four types of municipalities in Japan: cities, towns, villages and special wards...

 and other entities.

Local Public Entities

The classification of (LPEs) are:

• Ordinary LPEs
  • Prefectures
    Prefectures of Japan
    The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
    
     (to, dō, fu and ken)
  • Municipalities
    Municipalities of Japan
    Japan has three levels of government: national, prefectural, and municipal. The nation is divided into 47 prefectures. Each prefecture consists of numerous municipalities. There are four types of municipalities in Japan: cities, towns, villages and special wards...
    
    
    • Cities
      Cities of Japan
      ||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
      
      
    • Towns
      Towns of Japan
      A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
      
      
    • Villages
      Villages of Japan
      A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
      
      
• Special LPEs (incomplete)
  • Special wards of Tokyo
    Special wards of Tokyo
    The are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was the city of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to...
    
    
  • Unions of LPEs
    • Partial operating unions
    • Full operating unions
    • Office operating unions
    • Regional unions
  • Property districts
  • Regional development enterprises

Ordinary LPEs are the basic local governments. The distinction between ordinary and special LPEs is primarily relevant under the Constitution of Japan

Constitution of Japan

The is the fundamental law of Japan. It was enacted on 3 May, 1947 as a new constitution for postwar Japan.-Outline:The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights...

, which grants ordinary LPEs particular rights, including:

• Direct elections (Article 93.2)
• The right to legislate (Article 94)
• Citizen referendum prior to enactment of any statute which specifically affects the LPE (Article 95)

Special LPEs do not have these authorities except as otherwise provided by statute. While special wards are regarded as basic local government

Local government

Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...

s within Tokyo, other special LPEs are consortia of LPEs for specific fields such as schools, waterworks and waste management.

LPEs are self-governing in many respects, but report indirectly to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

The ' or Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is a cabinet-level ministry in the Government of Japan. The English name Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications was used prior to 2004...

 in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, which monitors relations between LPEs, as well as relations between LPEs and the government. The Ministry generally approves all inter-prefectural special LPEs, while inter-municipal special LPEs are approved by prefectural governors.

Revision of the Local Autonomy Law

In January 2011, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

The ' or Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is a cabinet-level ministry in the Government of Japan. The English name Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications was used prior to 2004...

announced plans to revise the law to enable the national government to investigate the laws of the LPEs for extralegality and place lawsuits against them if they fail to correct their actions.

External links

• Current text (in Japanese)
• 1999 version (in English)
• http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110107a7.html