In this study, a satisfaction structure model of industrial locations has been developed to analyze the survey data accumulated from the managers of plants located in areas (Aomori and northern Iwate) subjected to changing traffic conditions. In Shinkansen, the service started 3 years ago. Recently, in Japan, new plant constructions have not increased because of economic recession and globalization. For the maintenance of regional economy and employment, it is essential that the plants continue to function. To achieve this, the satisfaction of operating a plant should be maintained and increased. In this paper, we researched the factors related to the satisfaction and non-satisfaction in plant operation revealed by plant managers and developed a satisfaction structure model of industrial locations by using Structural Equation Modeling. The major findings of the analysis of the satisfaction structure model of industrial locations in Aomori etc. are summarized below

(1) The factors strongly related to the satisfaction regarding industrial locations are traffic (access and cost) and labor (quality and cost).

(2) The strongest factors influencing the change in satisfaction regarding industrial locations in the past 3 years are traffic and labor, and market and allied industries. These factors are strongly related.

The first State Development and Redevelopment Plan (SDRP) of the State of New Jersey was formulated in response to the mandates of the New Jersey Legislature contained in the New Jersey State Planning Act of 1985. It established the New Jersey State Planning Commission and required the Commission to prepare and adopt the SDRP and to revise and readopt the SDRP at least every 3 years thereafter. The Act also created a statewide planning process, designated Cross-Acceptance, to ensure the participation of governments at all levels and the public in preparing the plan and in its periodic revision. This paper reviews the agreements and disagreements in the past cross-acceptances and discusses the “teeth” in SDRP, which are required to incorporate reluctant local governments and regional and state agencies into the system, and it consolidates the planning process.

There have been 418 local referendums concerning municipal amalgamations between 2001 and 2005. Voter turnout ranges from 30.19% to 92.61%. In this paper, I analyze differences in the level of turnout focusing on the choice set presented to the voters.

Previous research has unanimously advocated that referendums should be held with as simple a set of alternatives as possible. Regression analysis shows, however, that the most simple “yes or no” type alternative tends to lead to lower turnout in amalgamation referendums. This tendency is stronger in less populated areas. These aggregate results are supported by more precise data in Shobu town of Saitama and Kinpo town of Kagoshima, which suggest the less populated area the electorate resides in, the stronger are preferences about municipal amalgamation. I interpret this to mean that many voters find no appropriate alternatives on the ballot. Consequently, some of them abstain from voting in the referendum.

This article focuses on increased public involvement in decision-making in the Oregonian's Transportation Plan from the standpoint of deliberative democracy. In Japan, raising issues on public involvement is the first stage wherein administrators attempt to seek public opinion. On the other hand, in Oregon State, OARs address citizen involvement in decision-making regarding land use. ODOT has worked for community enhancements and raised many issues on public involvement. We also consider another participation design in Metro. Region 2040 of Metro is the project on how one's own urban growth boundary can be effectively managed. In this case, Transportation Planning Public Involvement Policy adopted by the Metro Council includes the details of Region 2040 public involvement policy as the guidelines. These guidelines offer the goals and objectives for Metro's transportation plans. It appears to be based on the importance of deliberative democracy. In particular, in decision-making, we notice a model of deliberation that employs neighborhood councils, including Portland City, as the tools of collaborative governance. These systems used for enhancing the participation of the citizens as a regional governance body suggest the beneficial impact of the application of effective policy in public involvement guidelines in Japan.

All prefectures and big cities in Japan have formulated their Green House Gases (GHG) Reduction Plan since the 1990s. Further, almost all policy measures taken according to the respective GHG Reduction Plan include education, awareness campaign for citizens, formulation of reduction plan for companies, etc. I have investigated 3 German cities that have employed climate policy measures that involve changing the structures of energy supply system and traffic system and introducing measures involving economic incentives such as Fifty-Fifty, ESCO, etc. Furthermore, these climate policies have reduced GHG emission effectively. In Japan, it is necessary to introduce policy measures involving changes in the energy supply system or provision of economic incentives.

In this study, I have performed a quantitative analysis of the changes in CO₂ emissions and electricity prices in OECD countries after the enforcement of electricity liberalization policies and CO₂ emission reduction policies. Electricity liberalization commenced in 1987 in Chile and in 1990 in Britain; since then, it has spread to many parts of the world. In Japan, the wholesale market of electricity was liberalized in 1995, and the retail market was partially liberalized in 2000. Despite the considerable experience gained during the intervening 2 decades, there remain a number of contentious market design and implementation issues. Moreover, while market reforms have addressed many of the shortcomings of the regulated or centrally planned era, they have introduced new problems. Nearly all market reform initiatives were subjected to redesigning and/or refinements, referred to as “reform of reforms” by Joskow (2006b), to address deficiencies in their original structure. In addition to lowering the electricity prices through electricity liberalization, advanced countries have to deal with global warming in order to achieve the goals of the Kyoto Protocol. Therefore, each country has introduced policy instruments for CO₂ emission reduction, such as quota obligations that impose a minimum production of electricity from renewable energy sources.