Abstract
The aim of this article is to evaluate the funtions of public access systems of the local governments in Japan by utilizing a framework of policy analysis. While the control funtions over bureaucracy have been emphasized in making local ordinances for public access, their funtions to increase communication between governments and citizens have been neglected or ignored. Some local governments successufully limib the functions of their ordinances to ensuring the procedure for public access (dwarfing mechanism). Other governments which are annoyed by many requests try ot moderate such situation by establishing an incovenient reference system for requesters, or by not managing important information in forms of public decuments (reacting mechanism). Such mechanism impedes the functions of public access system to increase the free flow of information in society. In order to prevent from dwarfing and reacting mechanism, we have to consider not only provisions of the ordinances in detail, but also their relation to other systems for ensuring transparency of the government.
