Publications

Case Studies

Case studies on local government compiled by JLGC

The following case studies were taken from various sources originally published in Japanese and compiled and translated into English by the Japan Local Government Centre. They provide to interested parties an insight into the different processes and practices of local government in Japan and beyond.

Local Japan: Case Studies in Place Promotion – Motomiya City: Nationwide Mayumi-chan Exchange Project September 2024
Provided by Motomiya City Government, this shows how a nationwide PR campaign promoted the city as a place to relocate using municipal characters or yuru-chara.
Local Japan: Case Studies in Place Promotion – Manga and Anime statues as local landmarks January 2015
Looking at how Japanese local authorities use their unique ties to manga and anime characters for place identity and promotion as part of this global cultural phenomenon.
Local Japan: Case Studies in Place Promotion – Sustainable Tourism Brands in Hokkaido: Toya-Usu Geopark 2012
Dr Thomas Jones, Assistant Professor at Meiji University, looks at the case of Toya-Usu Geopark in Toyako municipality on Hokkaido as an example of how place branding of nature assets can be used to promote sustainable tourism in Japan.
Local Japan: Case Studies in Place Promotion – Using sustainability as city branding 2012
Looking at how Kitakyushu is making the transition ‘from grey city to green city’ and aiming to become ‘world capital of sustainable development’, and how Sendai uses its local green assets as a basis for economic development.
Local Japan: Case Studies in Place Promotion – Using regional products and PR to revitalise local areas April 2011
Three case studies from Japan examining how local authorities are using their local produce and inventive PR campaigns to revitalise their local economies and attract visitors and business.
Local Japan: Case Studies in Place Promotion – Using pop culture to assert distinctiveness of place April 2011
A look at three different regions in Japan and how they are using pop culture to revitalise their local areas and create a distinctive identity.
Toshima Ward Cleaning Depot – “Waste-to-Energy” from Tokyo’s rubbish December 2010
Toshima Cleaning Depot in the district of Kami-Ikebukuro is a waste dipsosal plant that highlights Japan’s very different priorities when it comes to dealing with household and commercial waste.
Creating new industry through glass recycling October 2009
Itabashi ward in Tokyo is currently engaged in a glass recycling programme which aims to open up new environmental markets using products made from discarded glass.
Technology in care for the aged in Japan – two case studies June 2009
1) Okuizumo town’s video phone and call centre system
2) Paro – the therapeutic robot harp seal
Japanese local government and the environment – two case studies June 2009
1) Kamikatsu town’s zero waste policy
2) New energy and self-sufficiency in Kuzumaki town
Japanese local authorities supporting industry and employment – three case studies June 2009
1) Fukuoka New Deal
2) Increasing employment by utilising and protecting marine resources in Nagasaki prefecture
3) Using tuna to revitalise Ōma town
The “new” Kumagaya city April 2009
Mayor Tomioka of the “new” Kumagaya city talks about Kumagaya’s two stage merger with Osato, Konan, and Menuma towns

Other case studies on Japanese local government

The following are case studies on Japanese local government compiled by outside organisations. Permission has been granted to make the reports available here.

Planning Transparency and Public Involvement in Pre-application Discussions February 2019
Gavin Parker and Tomokazu Arita look at how revision to pre-application discussions could provide a way of securing meaningful community input to consideration of development proposals, as experience from Tokyo and New York illustrates. This article was originally published in the February 2019 edition of Town and Country Planning and is republished with kind permission of the author and the Town and Country Planning Association (www.tcpa.org.uk)
East-side Story – Japanese Machizukuri, Neighbourhood planning, and Localism in England April 2014
Prof. Gavin Parker and Lorayne Woodend look at the effect of neighbourhood planning on community development in Japan to identify lessons for England. This article was originally published in the April 2014 edition of Town and Country Planning and is republished with kind permission of the author and the Town and Country Planning Association (www.tcpa.org.uk)
INLOGOV Briefing March 2011 – Hureai Kippu: Lessons from Japan for the ‘Big Society’ March 2011
March 2011 INLOGOV briefing by Dr Sachiko Nakagawa, Dr. Rosario Laratta and Prof. Tony Bovaird examining the ‘successful’ Japanese initiative of hureai kippu (Caring Relationship Ticket Scheme) and its adoption by ‘Big Society’ advocates for its encouragement of volunteering. This briefing explains the history of the scheme in detail and the lessons it offers for the UK government.
‘Michi-no-eki – an opportunity for the rural economy?’ – Gavin Parker July/August 2010
Gavin Parker explains how the Japanese ‘road stations’ idea, offering locally produced food and providing a range of roadside services, could be useful in UK attempts to boost rural economies and communities. This article was originally published in the July/August 2010 edition of Town and Country Planning and is republished with kind permission of the author and the Town and Country Planning Association (www.tcpa.org.uk)
‘Of cities and suburbs’ – Will Galloway July/August 2009
Will Galloway reports on the findings of a study on sustainability on the urban fringe in Japan that points to a need for an objective re-evaluation of suburbs and what they have to offer. This article was originally published in the July/August 2009 edition of Town and Country Planning and is republished with kind permission of the author and the Town and Country Planning Association (www.tcpa.org.uk)

Online International Activity of UK Local Authorities 2017