2014 Volume 37 Issue 3 Pages 99-107
The Japanese decentralization reform of recent years articulated the basic principle that legislative and administrative power for land use control is shared by the central and local governments. Currently, there is a need to substantialize local publicness as the basis of local administrative power. In this study, the interpretation of local publicness is attempted, picking up a newly introduced dispute-settlement system for land use matters established in Komae City, Tokyo, which is characterized by the “adjustment meeting” system based on a Machizukuri (town planning) ordinance. As a result, enhancement of the local publicness is acknowledged in the new system which seeks maximization of local values and optimization of local identity.
