2023 Volume 43 Pages 3-18
To gain a comprehensive understanding of recent municipal forest administration practices in Japan, I conducted a nationwide postal questionnaire survey and analyzed policies in five municipalities. The survey results showed that in fiscal year 2018, many municipal forest divisions had few staff members, and did not specialize in forest administration. Most municipalities responded negatively to the recent forest decentralization policy; however, increasing numbers of municipalities began to develop their own forest plans, establish forest boards, and adopt positive attitudes toward their own policies and systems. I analyzed six policies developed at the municipal level in the 2010s, which were formed by independent committees, municipal staff, or the private sector. The participation of these diverse policy makers ensured the formation of cooperative relationships among the various actors involved in policy formation, with key personnel contributing their individual strengths to each of the six policies. The findings imply that the 2010s represented a new stage in forest administration in Japan, in which municipalities expanded and developed their own proactive policies, independent of the national government, to respond to a broader range of regional issues and improve the quality and effectiveness of their policies.
