A Historical Study of Japan's Local Promotion Policy

Abstract

Governmental policies promoting the revitalization of local areas suffering from poverty and lack of progress have been implemented since the Meiji Period (1868-1912). In this paper, I take a historical look at the various policies, from the introduction of local promotion to the present, and study the change of social background and thought.

In the local promotion policies that the state conducts, the relationship between the state and the local areas was originally a paternalistic one, formed by “centralized authority” and “industrialization.” However, due to the neoliberalism doctrine prevalent since the 1980s, changes in empowerment measures are now characterized by “privatization,” “deregulation” and “devolution.”