A reflection on local democracy in the UK and Japan, and the shared challenge of declining participation in local government.
This summer marks three years since I took up my post in London. If past practice is anything to go by, it is time for me to soon return to Japan, and this will likely be my last opportunity to write this newsletter. The sense of melancholy at leaving the ‘birthplace of local government’ grows stronger with each passing day.
Upon hearing the phrase ‘birthplace of local government’, some of you may well be wondering, ‘Which country is that referring to?’ Of course, when people in Japan speak of the ‘birthplace of local government’, they are referring to the United Kingdom. Why the UK is called the ‘birthplace of local government’, for Japan, or perhaps for modern nations around the world, is, in truth, not entirely clear to me. Japan’s modern system of local government is modelled on that of Prussia. In Prussia, the establishment of a modern system of local government dates back to 1808, when the Municipal Charter was enacted. In recognising the right to levy taxes and draw up budgets independently, this was a system with a high degree of decentralisation for its time. The central figure in the enactment of the Municipal Charter was Baron vom Stein. In fact, when Stein was designing the new system for Prussia, it was the British system of local government of that era that served as his ideal. Tracing these historical developments, it is indeed true that the ‘birthplace’ of Japan’s system of local government, albeit indirectly, is the United Kingdom.
The mission of the JLGC is none other than to share the challenges faced by local authorities in Japan with the United Kingdom, the ‘birthplace of local government’, and to jointly explore new solutions. One of the challenges currently common to both the United Kingdom and Japan is surely the shortage of candidates willing to stand for election as local councillors, who underpin local government.
Local councillors are responsible for conducting discussions from a broad range of perspectives and for synthesising the diverse views of the local community. Whilst there are differences in the status of local councils between the UK and Japan (notably, in the UK, the leader is elected from among the local councillors, whereas in Japan the leader is elected directly by residents separately from the councillors), the importance of the democratic role played by local councillors remains the same in both countries.
Despite the importance of this role, there is currently a shortage of people wishing to become local councillors in Japan, a problem that is becoming particularly acute in small towns and villages. According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the proportion of councillors elected unopposed increased in the 2023 unified local elections; it is noted that, in town and village council elections in particular, 30 per cent of councillors were elected unopposed. Furthermore, there are now cases where the required number of councillors is not being met in some towns and villages (in Japan, municipalities comprise ‘cities’ and ‘towns and villages’; cities must meet certain criteria, such as a population of 50,000, and are delegated administrative responsibilities such as social welfare from the prefectural government).
A report by a Japanese government committee has pointed out that the proportion of uncontested elections tends to be higher in councils with few female councillors or where the average age of councillors is high. Consequently, there is a call to increase diversity in terms of gender and age composition. Whilst the proportion of female councillors has risen almost consistently in recent years, it remains below 20 per cent (the Special Wards of Tokyo show a relatively high proportion, but even there it stands at 36.2 per cent).
The shortage of local councillors is not simply a question of numbers; it raises a more fundamental question about how local democracy can remain representative and sustainable in the years ahead. Yet, if the history of local government teaches us anything, it is that institutions have always evolved in response to changing societies. During my time in the United Kingdom, I have seen local authorities during a period of adapting creatively to fiscal pressures, demographic change, and shifting public expectations, whilst maintaining their role as the level of government closest to residents. As I prepare to leave the ‘birthplace of local government’, I do so with a renewed appreciation that the challenges faced by Japan and the United Kingdom are not separate but shared. I hope that exchanges between our two countries will continue to provide opportunities to learn from one another and to contribute, in however small a way, to ensuring that local government remains vibrant and resilient for generations to come.
