Cities, autonomy, and decentralization in Japan

Abstract

Japan is known as a country in which a potent central power reigns over a compliant pyramidal hierarchy. For planning this has meant strong centralized government control. Yet, examples of autonomy have always existed in the politics, society, and economy of Japan and thrive today in various forms, particularly in urban areas. Following the growth and subsequent collapse of the bubble economy in 1990, and in response to globalization, new trends toward local autonomy and political and economic decentralization are emerging that must be evaluated in the context of the larger socio-political system. While the Tokyo megalopolis and other urban areas have been increasing in size and diversity of functions, both centralized authority and its expressions in planning are being questioned on various levels of Japanese government, among citizens, and in academia. At a time when Japan is ever more integrated into the global system, attempts at autonomy occur on the level of the neighborhood, the city, the region, and the islands. Small-scale developments and community-building (machizukuri), disaster prevention, urban form and architecture, and protection of monuments and townscapes are flourishing. While the cities remain major centers for these initiatives, regions are making their own attempts at autonomous development or inter-regional collaboration. However, although the politics of “decentralization” have reached an unprecedented level of discussion at the beginning of the twentyfirst century, concrete results have yet to materialize. While Japanese researchers are starting to analyze these initiatives, most of them are still largely ignored outside Japan. This book introduces recent scholarship and discussion by leading Japanese and foreign researchers to an English-speaking audience, focusing on questions such as: What concepts are being discussed in regard to autonomy in Japan and by whom? How do planning concepts seemingly as diverse as spatial decentralization, deconcentration, and machizukuri fit into the broader framework of autonomy and political and economic decentralization? How much freedom is there for initiatives emerging from outside the national government to enhance autonomy in a world directed by finance and the state? Are initiatives undertaken by individuals or small groups capable of instigating change and, if so, in what way?