July 2012

Photo: In front of Osaka Station, (C) City of Osaka Japan’s five major political parties reportedly agreed to introduce a bill which enables local governments of a certain population size to change their governing structure. Japan has a two-tier local government system in which the upper tier governments are called prefectures and the lower tiers are cities, towns and villages. The bill will allow local governments with more than two million people to abolish their lower-tier local government(s) and establish special wards instead. Special wards have less governing power compared to the original lower-tier governments, and the remaining power will be concentrated in and exercised by the prefecture to which… Read More »Creating More Powerful and Streamlined Local Government in Japan

Photo：The web page of New York City department of Health and Mental Hygiene Purpose It is always difficult to balance efficient local government administration with open discussion with those residents affected by local government policies. This is particularly important for Japanese local governments where such a balance is not always obvious. The purpose of this short article is to describe what may be termed as ‘how not to engage your residents’ on matters that affect their personal lives. Background The Mayor of New York City has, for some considerable time, attempted to link various food and other behaviours to the general ‘health’ of the City’s residents. There have been ‘bans’… Read More »New York City to Limit Size of Sugary Drinks Sold