At first, this paper shows the characteristic differences of hometown tax donations between cities, towns-villages, and wards in Japan calculating their descriptive statistics. Next, the paper tests the null-hypothesis that the means of hometown tax donation amounts are same, also the null-hypothesis that their variances are same. According to the results, the two null-hypotheses are rejected at the 1% significance level, which illustrates that their means and variances statistically differ from each other. Finally, we examine the effects of the hometown tax donations at city and town-village jurisdictions on the interregional fiscal inequalities by measuring Gini coefficients. The results reveal that the hometown tax donations worsened the degree of interregional fiscal equalities, especially in town-village localities as well as relatively small populated cities. For instance, the hometown tax donations forced the degree of the fiscal inequality to worsen 18.61% at town-village regions in fiscal 2022 when we compute the percentage changes of Gini coefficients of local tax revenues before and after adding the amounts of hometown tax donations to the local tax revenues.

　For older individuals, living in familiar surroundings continuously is one of important aspects of achieving well-being. However, in sparsely populated rural areas where healthcare and social resources are limited, sustaining life at their home can be as a significant challenge. This study examined the relationship between participation in social activities and mutual support relationships with neighbours, as key elements of well-being, and self-rated health and happiness amongst inhabitants of mountainous rural areas. From analysis of responses of long-term care needs survey (N=1,496, mean age: 76.9 years, female 56%), regular participants in social activities such as hobbies, sports, cultural pursuits, and community gatherings enhances self-rated health and happiness, regardless of physical strength. Additionally, having mutual support relationships with neighbours in seeking advice when facing difficulties or receiving care when bedridden was associated with higher self-rated health and happiness. Mutual support relationships existed amongst neighbours who were not families nor relatives, and whether acting as a supporter or a recipient, self-rated health and happiness were better than having no relationship at all. Therefore, creating opportunities for participation in social activities and neighbourhood mutual support relationship, regardless of physical strength or health status, was considered useful for sustaining life in mountainous rural areas.

　This paper examines the effectiveness of Community Based Tourism (CBT) in revitalizing local communities and creating sustainable tourism regions, based on a survey of CBT in Nan Province, northern Thailand. CBT is a tourism development philosophy that advocates that local communities take the lead in tourism development and management, and that the economic and social benefits of tourism should be fairly distributed among community members. Thailand places great importance on CBT as a regional tourism promotion measure, and the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) provides support to local communities. This study investigated CBTs supported by the DASTA Nan office and CBTs for ethnic minorities in mountainous areas. It was found that DASTA supported CBTs are not community-driven initiatives. Meanwhile, CBTs in mountainous areas are promoting bottom-up tourism region development. With the aim of creating profitable agriculture and improving the natural environment, increased attention is being paid to coffee and tea cultivation, contributing to the establishment of local economic cycles and community revitalization. As a result, it was found that Thailand's CBT is highly compatible in terms of creating regional appeal and attracting tourists, suggesting the possibility of linking this to the sustainable management of tourist destinations.

　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.”

　This study analyzes the policy agenda of the Iwate Prefectural Assembly after the Great East Japan Earthquake, using the BERTopic model to examine legislative speeches from the Intensive Reconstruction Period (2011-2015) and the Reconstruction and Revitalization Period (2016-2020). The findings show a clear shift in agenda priorities: during the Intensive Reconstruction Period, healthcare, education, regional revitalization, disaster prevention, and employment dominated the debates, while in the Reconstruction and Revitalization Period, disaster recovery and healthcare remained central but were joined by growing concerns over fiscal policy, agricultural revitalization, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional comparisons further highlight distinct priorities, with the central and southern areas emphasizing healthcare and social welfare, the coastal areas focusing on infrastructure and industrial recovery, and the northern area on agriculture and industry. Over time, the debates demonstrate a movement away from short-term recovery toward long-term development and crisis management. This trajectory suggests that disaster reconstruction policy change is not a temporary adjustment, but a sustained transformation shaped by shared beliefs and long-term cooperation among multiple actors.