Boundary Dispute between Municipalities-The Case of Ohmuta and Arao Cities on the Ariake Fay in Kyushu

Abstract

Municipal territories and boundaries exist in Japan as if they are a gift from the ancient ancestors. Since they were established before the modern juristic system delimited Japanese territory, the principal process to resolve a boundary dispute is to find out and identify lost boundaries rather than to create a new one. The boundary dispute between Ohmuta (Fukuoka Prefecture) and Arao (Kumamoto Prefecture) is one of the typical disputes on the reclaimed land, where each administrative unit anticipates receiving tax income. In the course of research on this problem, the author examined the antecedent boundary from the viewpoint of historical geography, the subsequent boundary contested by the socio-economic spheres of each city, and the superimposed boundary according to cartographic technique. Though the geographical-objective results might support Ohmuta's assertions in this dispute, the author chose to ask the mayor of Ohmuta not to demand control of the concerned land so as to reach a stable resolution. This is an excellent example of geographical survey techniques applied to resolve a political problem in Japan, even if the results were not adopted.