The active promotion of voluntary mergers of municipalities
As decentralization enters the implementation stage, there is a greater demand for the independence of local authorities. As the falling birthrate and aging of society continue, municipalities will need to handle complex administrative issues. It will be necessary to work towards more efficient administration as fiscal conditions become more severe.
These challenges are a spur to the voluntary mergers of municipalities.
In the 1995 amendment of the Municipal Merger Law, the Citizens' merger petition System was introduced, enabling residents to submit bills. Supplementary financial aid was also introduced to promote municipal mergers. With these extraordinary measures, some movement towards voluntary merger can be seen.
Working toward 'A new age in local autonomy,' the Local Administrative Bureau is planning various policies to support still more the promotion of voluntary mergers of municipalities.
