Right of local self-government and ecosystem services

a problem-based study of the concentration of US military bases in Japan in Okinawa Prefecture and their environmental impacts

Abstract

Ecosystem services are the foundation of human security. Their maintenance needs to be strived for on a region-by-region basis, as evidenced in watershed management and conservation, and local autonomy is important for this purpose. However, in Japan, there is a contradiction whereby the pursuit of local autonomy as stipulated in the Constitution is restricted by the State, as seen in the concentration of US military bases, particularly in Okinawa Prefecture, and their environmental impact. This study examines the significance of maintaining the independence of local autonomy based on an awareness of these issues.