Municipalities in Japan
Municipalities in Japan (市区町村, shikuchōson)[1] are the local governments and sub-divisions of the island nation.[2]
There are three main types of municipalities in Japan:
There is a fourth type of municipality — the 23 special wards of Tokyo.
History
changeIn 1878, the national government enacted the "Municipalities Formation Law", the "Prefectural Assemblies Act", and the "Local Tax Ordinance".[2] Japan was organized into three levels of government:
- the national government of Japan
- the mid-level Prefectures of Japan
- the local municipality governments
In 1889, the ''shikuchōson was refined to create 39 cities and 15,820 towns and villages. The "Municipal Government Act" was a blend of Japanese customs and Prussia’s local government system.[2]
After 1898, local officials were elected in municipal elections.[2]
Since the 19th century, Japan has been divided into 47 prefectures; and each prefecture has many districts and municipalities.
In 1947, the "Local Autonomy Law" (LAL) further refined Japan's municipalities.[2]
Related pages
changeReferences
change- ↑ Shikuchōson is a term which was made up in the Meiji period. In this invented word, each kanji represents one of the four types of municipalities.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Jacobs, A.J. "Japan's Evolving Nested Municipal Hierarchy: The Race for Local Power in the 2000s," Urban Studies Research, Vol. 2011 (2011); doi:10.1155/2011/692764; retrieved 2012-3-23.
Other websites
change- "Large City System of Japan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2011. graphic shows municipalities in context (PDF 7 of 40)
