Administrative Reforms from Historical Aspects

This chapter explores the postwar history of administrative reforms in Japan in connection with reform trends in Europe and the USA. Until the 1980s, these reforms consisted primarily of independent initiatives based on Japan’s own internal motives. Since the 1990s, however, the influence of demands to open markets and global norms became prominent. In the 2000s, NPM reforms could be discerned. Nevertheless, in light of Japan’s unique circumstances, it was difficult to claim that the features of these reforms were actually realized. As a factor of success in the municipal mergers classified here as a Type I MLG (multi-level governance) system, the central government, in reflecting the wishes of the ruling party, sought to actively promote “voluntary amalgamations.”