・"Opinion about the establishment of "Do and Shu" by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1970 (Showa era 45)

This opinion proposed to create the "Do and Shu" with the abolishment of prefectures. "Do and Shu" are local government between the central government and city, town, and village. The areas of "Do and Shu" should be decided with considering the some conditions, such as natural environment, geography, culture, sense of community among local governments, social condition, and economic condition, and with respect to make it possible to effectively and comprehensively execute local administration. The number of "Do and Shu" should be around 8. "Do and Shu" should have presidents as the heads and assemblies as legislative bodies. The presidents and the assembly members should be elected.

In those days, in addition to this conception for the merger of three prefectures in Tokai, the conception for the merger of three prefectures of Osaka, Nara, and Wakayama was actively discussed especially in business world. These conceptions were raised because demands to government especially demands for broader base than prefecture areas were raised with the dramatic development of industry and economy and improvement of life standard of people.

Following these conceptions, the central government examines and proposed the coalition of the merger of prefectures. First, in October 1962 (Showa era 37), the eighth Local Government System Research Council submitted "The verdict about the development of local cities" which said that "In terms of broader base administrative affairs, the central government, local government, and other governmental organizations should tightly cooperate with each other. It is needed to implement some policies for coordinating the central government and local governments in order to comprehensively execute the local administrative affairs with plan in each block. For example, the coordinating organization consisting of presidents of prefectures in the block and chiefs of the administrative organizations in the central government can be established. Following this, the central government submitted the draft of Act to the national assemblies. The Act was to establish nine Association of for Coordination between Local Governments and National Branch Offices in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Tokai, Hokuriku, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyusyu, which covered all the areas in Japan, for the purpose of proper broader base local administration. The Draft of Act has failed to act several times because of the confusion in the late Diet and the dissolution of the House of Representatives. The draft of Act was finally became law in a vote in the 48th Diet in 1965 (Showa era 40). The Law of Association for Coordination between Local Governments and National Branch Offices was proclaimed and enforced on April 1, 1965 (Showa 40-Act38).

In 1963 (Showa era 38), Mr. Hayakawa, the Minister of Home Affairs, proposed the "Conception for the coalition of prefectures", which followed the cue of European Economic Community (EEC, which was predecessor of EU (Europe Union)). On December 1963, the ninth Local Government System Research Council submitted "The verdict about the reallocation of administrative affairs" which said that "The demands for the broader-based local administrative affairs beyond a prefecture, city, town, and village have been increasing. In order to efficiently execute these administrative affairs, local governments should use joint management systems such as association, partial union, and local development corporation. However, these joint management systems are not enough to respond to the demands for the broader-based local administrative affairs. Therefore, it is necessary to create a new union system as new special local government." This union was created by the bylaw established through the action of the assemblies of prefectures, cities, towns, and villages, which were related to the union. The union should have a board as an executive body consisting of heads of local government and a council to discuss the important issues and issues fixed by the bylaw. The central government examined this union system and prepared to submit the Act for the union system. However, it did not get final draft and could not submit the final draft to the assemblies because of not enough coordination with conception for the merger of prefectures.

In September 1965 (Showa era 40), the tenth Local Government System Research Council submitted "The verdict about the merger of prefectures" to the Prime Minister. The verdict said "The characters of prefectures should not be changed. The double structure of prefecture and city, town, and village also should not be changed. The merger of prefectures makes it a principle for prefectures to voluntarily merge. The central government should support and guide such voluntary mergers. The central government should avoid compulsory and uniform guidance. Not only the procedure established by the law based on the first paragraph of Article 6 of the Local Autonomy Law, but also the procedure based on prefectures' initiative could be considered. The proposal by the prefectures thorough assemblies' decision would be judged by the Prime Minister with the national assemblies' decision. For the purpose of removing the disincentives, the central government should give preferential measures such as grant, promising local bonds, and other financial special measures. These measures should be realized by the law, such as the special law for prefectural merger." Following this verdict, on April 1966 (Showa era 41) the central government submitted the draft of the special law for prefectural merger, whose purpose was to make it easy for prefectures to voluntarily merge by the giving preferential measures, to the 51st Diet. This draft also aimed at contributing to efficient local administrative executions at prefectures and improvement of lives of presidents. This draft was carried over to the next diet, scraped, and resubmitted several times. However, this draft was not enacted. Finally the draft was scraped at the 61st Diet on August 1969 (Showa 44) and was not submitted again.

Other than this discussion about the merger of prefectures for responding to the demands for broader base administrative affairs, the argument of restructuring and integration of field agencies of the central governments for responding to the demands for broader base administrative affairs was raised mainly in the secondary meeting group of the Ad Hoc Commission on Administrative Reform. In February 1963 (Showa era 38) the meeting group submitted the tentative report to the Commission. The tentative report divided administrative affairs into planning administrative affairs and operation administrative affairs. The report said that because operation administrative affairs were direct supply responding to the administrative demands, operation administrative affairs were necessary to be executed responding the local administrative demands. The report also raised the conception for creation of a broad field agency of the central governments in each area in order (1) to establish the necessary organization for responding the local administrative demands, (2) to unify management of administrative affairs, (3) to respond to the demands for broader base administrative affairs, (4) to restructure the organization, and (5) to improve the relationship between the central government and local governments by making away with sectionalism through mergers of many field agencies of the central governments. This conception was criticized for the reasons (1) that a powerful broad filed agency may depress local autonomy of local governments, (2) strengthened powerful bureaucracy, and (3) problems of double administration. As a result, the final report of the Ad Hoc Commission on Administrative Reform said "There are both supporting side and opposing side for the conception for creation of a broad field agency of the central government in each area. There is no consensus."

　

As described above, in the reviews of prefectural system from the demands for broader administrative system, only the creation of Association for Coordination between Local Governments and National Branch Offices was realized. All of (1) the draft law of new union system as new special local government, (2) the draft law of the special law for prefectural merger, and (3) the conception for creation of a broad field agency of the central government, have not realized. In this situation, in November 1970 (Showa era 45), the fourteenth Local Government System Research Council submitted "The verdict of special system for metropolitan cities." This verdict stated about the broader administrative organizations "This Council submitted the verdicts about the reform of fundamental local administrative system, such as the Do and Shu system and the prefectural merger. However, responding to the changes of social economic situations after the verdicts, we needs to reexamine the Do and Shu system and the prefectural merger as well as the special system for metropolitan cities. We needs to more fundamentally and more empirically research these issues and compare them. We also need to check the reform of the national consensus about this issue." This verdict made the Committee itself to reexamine the Do and Shu system and the prefectural merger. After that, in November 1981 (Showa era 56), little assembly of the eighteenth Local Government System Research Council submitted "The report of the little assembly for the local administration system." The report stated about the reform of prefectural system "This Council has once submitted the verdicts about local administration system. Responding to the social economic changes after them, this Council withdrew our attitude to the Do and Shu system. The prefectural system, whose focal point has been president election system, has been alive for thirty five years and settled in the people's lives and consciousness. The position of prefectures has also become more important. The majority opinion said that it was problematic to examine the reform of the prefectural system without considering the consciousness of the residents in consideration of (1) current trend that domestic administration pays attention to the improvement of residents' local necessary infrastructure and (2) the raising of the consciousness of autonomy of residents. We agreed that the issue of broader base local administration system should be concluded with the issue of special system for metropolitan cities, through the unhurried discussion and with more primary research." During this time, the business community and others proposed Do and Shu system instead of prefectural system and federal system. However, al least the central government and the Local Government System Research Council viewed that the prefectural system entered the stable stage.

　

Around the time when the era name changed from Showa to Heisei, the controversy about the prefectural system, which seemed to be in the stable stage, became active again. The prefectural system had a little fluctuation. The key word for this fluctuation was "administrative reform." In the situation that Japan was forecast to enter the stage of fewer children and an aging society in the period of stable economic growth, it became the urgent issue that Japanese administration through both the central government and local government was required to execute comprehensive administrative reform.

In December 1989 (Heisei era 1), the Second Provisional Council on Administrative and Fiscal Reform submitted "The verdict about the relationship of the central government and local governments." The verdict stated about the broader-base prefectural administration that following two issues should be examined: 1) introduction of the prefectural coalition system and 2) the establishment of procedure for voluntary prefectural merger system. The verdict also requested that Do and Shu system should be examined from all quarters. The verdict also requested the central government to examine these issues based on the examinations from all quarters.

In October 1993 (Heisei era 5), the final verdict of the Provisional Council on Administrative and Fiscal Reform stated that "Although it is forecast that the administrative affairs which should be responded beyond a single prefecture will increase, these administrative affairs should be responded by 1) existing system or 2) wide-area union of prefectures. In addition, the central government should seriously examine the merger of prefectures without fixed thinking and seriously examine the meanings of a new broader base local governments system, such as Do and Shu system, as the alternatives of current prefectural system in case that the potential movement for prefectural merger become active." This final verdict was regarded as a more progressive one.

Base on this verdict and others, in 1994 (Heisei era 6), the Local Autonomy Law was revised and the system of wide-area union was introduced (Heisei 6 - Act 48).

After that, in order to promote the decentralization reform, which was argued in the context of administrative reform, the double structure of prefectural system and the municipal system was decided not to be discussed. The argument about this issue became inactive. However, with the progression of the decentralization reform, the controversy about the prefectural system rose again, which can be thought to be a natural result of the trend in some sense.