What has the Local Leader been advocating?

Textual Analysis of Policy Speeches During the Reconstruction Period

Abstract

　In this paper, we focus on the local governments of the three Tohoku prefectures (Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima) affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. We conduct textual analysis of the policy speeches delivered by their mayors and discuss the policy priorities and political influence discernible from these speeches. The reconstruction process significantly impacts local autonomy. The reconstruction policies advocated by mayors directly affect the lives and livelihoods of disaster-affected residents. Consequently, these reconstruction policies are routinely judged by the electorate. While advancing reconstruction in coordination with the national government and other local governments, mayors must also consider voter evaluations. Balancing budget constraints with the demands of voters seeking reconstruction is no easy task. Mayors of disaster-affected municipalities face difficult decisions. We conduct text analysis based on the policy speeches delivered by the mayors of disaster-affected municipalities in this paper. Through this process, we clarify “what they were thinking” and “whether variations in their arguments exist by area and time period.”