In the last two decades, a limited number of policy analysts and political philosophers in Japan have explored moral values that provide the goals of a public policy and impose constraints on means to the goals. Despite the development of the study on policy values, the vast majority of policy theorists and practitioners in the country seem to pay scant attention to these values. This article endeavors to remedy this situation by showing that the full-scale evaluation of a policy option requires the examination of a value theory that attempts to justify the option. To illustrate the point, the paper focuses on one of major controversies over what is called climate justice: a debate on the distribution of the rights to emit greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide.

To begin with, this paper sets forth its aim and overviews major issues in the realm of climate justice. There are two primary positions on the distribution of carbon emission rights. The grandfathering view maintains that the initial allocation of these rights should reflect the distribution of carbon emissions at a certain point in the recent past. The equal emission view claims that every person on the globe holds the right to emit the equal per capita amount of carbon dioxide. However, a close examination of value theories that support these views reveals that both of them are ultimately unsuccessful. Based on this negative assessment of the two positions, I try to develop a justification for the third one―the basic needs view―that argues that every person has the right to emit carbon to meet her basic needs. The paper concludes by noting that one should examine a value theory lying behind a policy option when evaluating the option.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between public policy making and political philosophy (or normative political theory). Public policy deeply connects with norm and value. But political philosophy that explores norm and value does not play important role but peripheral role in public policy studies.

This paper maintains that political philosophy plays two important roles in the public policy process. These roles are called “democratic underlabourer” First, political philosophy as democratic underlabourer offers the framework of normative cognition to the actors in agenda setting. Second, it clarifies value commitment that policy makers implicitly presuppose in policy-making process.

By the democratic underlabourer political philosophy contributes the articulation of norm and value concerning public policy, and the improvement of the modes of thinking in the policy processes.

Health care policies have many political players with conflict interests in the decision making processes. It is not easy to find perfect solution which satisfies everyone.

To conduct systematic policy evaluation and policy making, theories of justice for health care and norms and values like code of conduct for healthcare policy are needed.

Norms and values are defined as specific standards of what is socially acceptable and good. The aim of this essay is to argue why we need norms for policy decision making and is to discuss about justice and fairness in the design of a health care policy.

The new medical residency program established in 2004 in Japan is criticized for causing maldistribution of doctor over areas and clinical departments, while its objectives are generally accepted. I thus employ Frank Fischer’s multidimensional policy analysis framework to analyze the policy and to produce useful information for “better” design of alternative. Choosing two hospitals with different characteristics at the contextual level, it is verified that the program in each hospital achieved its objectives, and the objectives of the programs are validated based on interview data of 45 stakeholders. At the social level, it is argued that “Matching System” of the new policy triggered the withdrawal of doctors sent from university hospitals, then the maldistribution of doctor, which had not been expected nor intended. At the Social Choice phase, a "map" of social orders with “liberty-equality” axis and “the private-public nature of doctor” one is proposed so that it facilitates dialogue and offers insights into the argument of “better” policy. Finally, I tried to argue the design of “better” policy and suggest possible alternatives by the “map” of social orders.

Most scholars of public policy studies admit we should pay attention to values and norms when discussing public policy. The number of studies on values and norms relating to public policy is insufficient, however, and the details of　normative policy analysis have yet to be elucidated. In this paper we examine the reasons why normative policy analysis has not been popular and ascertain the importance of normative policy analysis. Furthermore, we explain the necessary conditions to establish normative policy analysis.

The points of this study are as follows. Firstly, we must devise ways and means to integrate normative policy analysis into the real policy process, even if discourse of values and norms is influential in the political process. Secondly, the purpose of normative policy analysis is not to pursue the truth, but to be a useful tool for policy design. It would be especially useful for consensus building and choosing alternatives. Thirdly, normative policy analysis is expected not only to clarify the meanings of the words involved in values and norms, but to put the feelings and intuitions of people into words. In addition, relationships between values should be analyzed. Some values are considered to be a kind of intrinsic value, but others are just instrumental value. Lastly, we must investigate what values and norms ordinary people respect for a preliminary work for normative policy analysis.

This paper is based on pragmatism and focuses on the importance of rhetoric, interpretation, and communication.

Earthquake Hazard Information that the government discloses is profitable information for Disaster Mitigation Measure. It has been used for an architectural design and the earthquake insurance. A lot of Local Public Entities consider The Earthquake Disaster Prevention. However, it is at small number of people that have used Earthquake Hazard Information for The Restriction and The Architectural Design in the City Planning. This is thought for the problem to exist also in the present system. We should deepen the discussion about The Local Disaster Prevention Planning by the viewpoint that the administrative body defends people’s lives.

After the rise of the notion of ‘soft-power’ the development of mass cultural industry including the subculture sector, the diversification of individuals’ cultural activities, the political interest in culture has become considerably strong. However, there has scarcely been any research within Japan on the relation of culture and politics and its perspective, based upon a clear definition of cultural policy. In the first place, how can we define cultural policy in the political/administrative frame? And what is the meaning of this comparative study on cultural policies of Japanese and French cities? This research tries to clarify the answer to these questions.

Though it is different from the established academic point of view, this political/administrative comparative analysis on cultural policies of cities in Japan and in France proves the significance of the orientation of the Japanese and the French post war cultural policies of the State and local authorities.

At the beginning of this research, there comes a hypothesis that the characteristics of cities’ cultural policies and their actors become clearer than ever through research on cities· cultural policies in the two countries undertaken by using the common political / administrative frame. At first, this analysis shows that cultural policies in these countries are comparable if the research relies on the context of the central-local relationship. Moreover, this comparative analysis clarifies the unexplained common point that both countries’ cultural policies at the city level are ‘decentered’ and ‘integrated’.

The concrete aim of the research is to verify the hypothesis that cities’ cultural policies in these two countries cannot be explained by the traditional sectorized and centralized idea, although the established explanation tells us that administrations of cities’ cultural policies in both countries have sectorized tendencies. To deal with this hypothesis, an analysis is undertaken to clarify cities' cultural policies in both countries and their actors by employing the ‘centerdecenter’ and ‘integrated-disintegrated’ frames.

Concerning the structure, this research suggests first of all the meaning, analytic method and research frame, and then shows characteristics of cities’ cultural policies in Japan and in France before and after the rise of the Left.

Technical standard can be the criteria when we judge the rationality of public works.

Technical standard which is considered in this thesis is ‘revised edition the technical standard of river erosion control (proposal) part of explanation and plan’ edited by the ministry of construction (sankaidou 1998). I call it the technical standard of river erosion control (proposal) below.

As for ‘the rate of extension’ ‘the fundamental volume of flood’ ‘the flood control effect’, etc. which were issues in the dam cases, etc. the way of thinking of concrete numeral standard and calculation is decided in the technical standard of river erosion control (proposal).

I found the following five problems when I examined the judicial precedents.

1 The coefficient of roughness is decided without rational reason.

2 The way of thinking of the enlargement ratio has theoretical contradiction.

3 The fundamental volume of flood is very different from the maximum volume of the past flood.

4 The volume of the flood control is very different from the actual flood.

5 The difference among the volume of the flood control which was indicated in judicial precedents about the same dam more than doubled.

‘The technical standard of river erosion control (proposal)’ must be revised in order to reduce the difference between actual result and ‘the technical standard of river erosion control (proposal)’ by including new result of studies, etc.

In it the procedure must be prescribed in order to include new result of studies.

I think courts must examine whether there is the difference between the result of adjustment of ‘the technical standard of river erosion control (proposal)’ and the actual flood, etc.