Japanese Local Government Research Articles

Factors Associated With the Suspension of Domiciliary Dental Care for Older Adults During the First Wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic: A Comparative Study in the Japanese Local Government.

Objective The novel coronavirus has reduced the availability of dental services, including domiciliary dental care. The suspension of dental treatment worsens the dental condition. However, the impact on domiciliary dental care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on domiciliary dental care and associated factors. Materials and methods This comparative study used Japanese prefectural claims data, including data from older adults who utilized domiciliary dental care. We compared the suspension of dental treatment during the firstwave of the COVID-19 pandemic with that before the COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome was the completion of four consecutive months of treatment. The chi-squared test, t-test, and logistic regression were applied. Result Approximately 23.4% of participants suspended home dental services during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas 11.7% suspended these services before COVID-19. Logistic regression clarified the effect of the following variables (during the first wave of COVID-19 vs. before COVID-19): care need level of long-term care was 1-5 (=severe) (odds ratio (OR): 0.92 vs. no significance (NS)), visit by hospital dentists (OR: 1.83 vs. NS), volume of patients in the visited place (2-9 people, OR: NS vs. 0.72; over 10 people, OR: 0.58 vs. 0.32), planned physicians' visit (OR: 0.71 vs. 0.77), and taxed income per population (OR: NS vs. 1.00). Discussion Domiciliary dental care, especially those in care facilities, were a vulnerable population during the pandemic. This may contribute to the delivery of domiciliary dental care during any future pandemics.

The Status of Nationwide Implementation of Integrative Medicine Programs by Japanese Local Government from a “Social Model” Viewpoint

Background: The world's demographics are transitioning, prompting governments globally to adopt diverse health promotion and disease prevention programs to enhance people's quality of life. While several integrative medicine (IM) programs, including traditional or alternative medicine, may be in place, the level of implementation nationwide is unknown. This research represents the first nationwide study in Japan, conducted in 2018 before local government health programs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study examines the use of IM by local government in Japan and its safety and effectiveness as a “social model.”Methods: IM programs for disease prevention and health promotion of all 1,944 Japanese local governments in 2018, were retrieved the using the Web Archive Project of the National Diet Library, which is a maintained website repository for all Japanese local government including IM and health programs.Results: A total of 1,739 IM programs were implemented in 537 local governments (27.6% among all Japanese local governments). These included programs for Yoga (1,242; 71.4% of the projects), Qigong (211; 12.1%), and Aromatherapy (145; 8.3%). Among the providers of the programs, only 16 (0.9%) were national medical-related license holders. The purpose of disease prevention or health promotion was not described with scientific basis (safety and effectiveness).Conclusion: Japanese local government conduct health-promoting IM programs, but untrained providers administer many of them. There needs to be more evidence to support the alleged health promotion objectives. Local governments require better support and evidence-based planning to rectify this situation.

Accessibility of COVID-19-related Public Websites in Japan

ABSTRACT Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, accessible websites and online content have become more critical worldwide as patients seek information about their medical concerns with limited access to care. However, there are still research gaps regarding the accessibility to COVID-19 information in Japan. Purpose This study systematically and quantitatively analyzed COVID-19-related local government websites from official COVID-19 for compliance with WCAG guidelines. Methods On June 25, 2022, we analyzed COVID-19 web portals by Japanese local governments using AChecker, WAVE, and miChecker. These tools are automated accessibility evaluation tool based on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are widely used international standards in accessibility. Results Of the 72 websites included, the average number of errors per page was 2.7 (range 0–38) for WAVE and 8.7 (range 0–104) for WCAG 2.0 AA, respectively. The number of errors was lower than the number of accessibility errors on general websites. “Perceivable” errors, such as ambiguous colors/contrasts and missing alternative text, were prominently displayed at the top of the list of web page accessibility errors. Discussion The accessibility of the COVID-19 website of the Japanese local government was deemed satisfactory compared with the average number of accessibility errors on the top 1,000,000 home pages worldwide (50.8 per page). However, the websites lacked support in images (color and text) and audio guidance for users with visual and cognitive impairments. Translation to Health Education Practice For proper user perception, COVID-19 information had to be presented with clear contrast, alternative text, and informative captions.

Local factors sustaining co-production: Two case studies from the city of Yokohama, Japan

ABSTRACT In an era of austerity, co-production involving local government and community groups has taken on much greater significance worldwide, including in Japanese local government. However, the nature of local co-production differs widely across Japan, ranging from bona fide cooperation between municipalities and voluntary groups to de facto outsourcing of local government functions in pursuit of cost savings. This paper seeks to add to the scholarly literature on community co-production by examining two case studies in Yokohama City. In particular, we seek to show how “path-dependency” and local social capital play a significant role in the success of co-production in local government.

Validation of the most cost-effective nudge to promote workers’ regular self-weighing: a cluster randomized controlled trial

Regular self-weighing is useful in obesity prevention. The impact of nudge-based occupational self-weighing programs in the cluster randomized controlled trial was examined. The primary outcome was regular self-weighing after 6 months, which we used to compute cost-effectiveness. Participants were Japanese local government employees who underwent 1 h workshops after being assigned to one of the three nudge groups. Each group was designed according to the nudges’ Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely framework: quiz group (n = 26, attractive-type nudges), implementation intentions group (n = 25, social-type nudges), and growth mindset group (n = 25, timely type nudges). A reference group (n = 36, no nudges) was also formed. After 6 months, all three interventions were effective for regular self-weighing, with the growth mindset intervention (60.0%) being significantly more effective. The cost-effectiveness of the growth mindset group was 1.7 times and 1.3 times higher than that of the quiz group and the implementation intentions group, respectively. Findings from our study are expected to facilitate the use of nudges for health practitioners and employers, which in turn may promote obesity prevention.

The Use of Performance Measures in Japanese Local Government: An Empirical Analysis of Impact on Budgets

The Use of Performance Measures in Japanese Local Government: An Empirical Analysis of Impact on Budgets

Japanese local government management of compulsory hospitalization for patients with mental disorders and comorbid COVID-19.

Administering medical treatment or managing quarantine for a patient is particularly difficult when a patient harming others or causing self-harm because of severe depression, a manic state, or psychomotor agitation is also infected with COVID-19. Kanazawa University Hospital is the only facility able to manage such difficult cases occurring in Ishikawa prefecture, a local administrative area in Japan. The hospital has arranged a negative pressure apparatus in a psychiatric ward with two protection rooms. This report describes an urgently established but viable system in one prefecture of Japan for treating COVID-19-infected patients with severe psychiatric symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CAN E-PROCUREMENT REDUCE BID RIGGING IN PUBLIC AUCTIONS?

Abstract The adoption of e-procurement may reduce bid rigging in public auctions by limiting in-person meetings of bidders. Using the data from construction auctions tendered by a Japanese local government where paper-based manual procurement is replaced by e-procurement, we find that the adoption of e-procurement reduced bids in a section of the market where the bids were initially higher than the other section of the market. The degree of reduction was smaller in an auction when the bidders were likely to be in the same industrial community, suggesting that the effect of e-procurement by limiting in-person meetings is smaller when the bidders have chances to communicate through other than the procurement processes.

Local Water Utility Reform: Case Studies from Iwate Prefecture in Northern Japan

ABSTRACT In common with local government systems in other developed countries, Japanese local government confronts numerous acute problems, including the ongoing sustainability of its local waterworks. Municipally-owned Japanese water utilities face a host of difficulties, including falling demand for water, decreased revenue, expensive infrastructure renewal and a shortage of skilled staff, which are compounded by the relatively small size of water utilities. This article seeks to contribute to the literature on Japanese water sector reform by examining the remedial efforts undertaken by two local water utilities to alleviate their circumstances in Iwate prefecture in northern Japan. Various public policy implications are drawn from these case studies.

A review of crime prevention activities in a Japanese local government area since 2008: Beautiful Windows Movement in Adachi Ward

There have been limited reports on crime prevention policies by local governments in Japan, which is one of the safest countries in the world. This article reviews crime prevention policies in Adachi Ward, which used to have the highest crime rates in Tokyo. The government of Adachi Ward introduced the “Beautiful Windows Movement” (BWM) in 2008. Based on BWM, Adachi Ward implemented various programs and interventions based on two different aspects: the aspect of preventing minor crimes and disorder in partnership with the police referring to the Broken Windows Theory and the aspect of literally making the Ward beautiful in cooperation with citizen volunteers. After 11 years of implementing BWM, the number of recorded crimes in Adachi Ward declined the most in Tokyo and residents’ sense of security improved significantly. This case study highlights the advantage of the duality of BWM to both reduce crimes and improve residents’ sense of security.

Integrating Japanese Local Government and Communities into the Educational Curriculum on Regional Sustainability Inside the UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserves and Geoparks

This study analyzes whether biosphere reserves (BR) and geoparks (GP) can serve as platforms to contribute to education for sustainable development by integrating local authorities and communities into the educational process. For two years, we conducted the integrated course named “UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and Geoparks”, with a total number of 143 students. The curriculum was carefully designed together with the local government and community members. Both BR and GP increased the awareness and knowledge of regional sustainability and served as educational platforms to integrate the local government and communities inside the academic curriculum. Students replied that their knowledge about the BR and GP was raised by 83% and 92%, respectively. Practical field trips showed an increased awareness of the locals’ efforts towards regional sustainable development. Both BR and GP provided site-specific knowledge and functioned as the learning platform to teach about the linkage of human–nature interaction towards regional sustainable development. Most of the students expressed that BR helped them to analyze the situation at the issue-oriented community level (76%), whereas GP helped them to think broadly about the relation of humans with the Earth at the global level (89%).

Diagnostic and Interactive Use of PMM by Japanese Local Governments: Does the Context Affect the Fitness of Use?

Efforts to “reinvent” government have emphasized the importance of performance measurement and management (PMM) systems to improve government operations. Although it seems clear why organizations adopt PMM systems, less is known about their actual consequences. This study, using a survey to Japanese local government departments, explores whether different uses of PMM and their interaction with the context (predictability and bureaucratic culture) can affect the impact of PMM on organizational performance. Results show that using PMM, not only having it, is not enough to generate performance improvements. It is shown that the fitness of use to the local government context is the way to foster performance. A strong bureaucratic culture shows a positive relation with performance in the Japanese setting.

Creating institutional advantage: local government co-production with community groups

Japanese local government faces formidable problems, not least of which are severe financial constraints and rapidly ageing populations. These problems are acute in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu, with its lower incomes and declining population. Public policies designed to assist local authorities in addressing these problems include fostering greater collaboration between local communities and local governments through co-production in local service provision. In this article, we examine two leading examples of local co-production in Tohoku through the lens of case studies in Sendai City and Hirosaki City, the former focused on the development of evacuation centre manuals and the latter on the competitive sponsorship of community projects by local authorities. Drawing on the theory of comparative institutional advantage, we argue that these approaches are not only efficacious in leveraging the relative strengths of local councils and community groups, but are also readily applicable in other countries.

Coping and Supporting Patients and Families of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a comprehensive term encompassing a group of clinically overlapping but heterogeneous conditions with selective frontal and temporal lobar neurodegeneration. Among the three clinical subtypes of FTLD, behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and semantic dementia (SD) were specified as "designated intractable diseases" by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in 2015. Under this designation system, relatively young patient with bvFTD or SD of certain severities can receive partial financial support from the Japanese local government. Here we introduce financial and social support for FTLD, including utilization of the designated intractable disease system and other support available in Japan. In addition, we describe the methods for coping and care of prominent symptoms in FTLD. Lastly, we address the current status of a nationwide Japanese FTLD study cohort named FTLD-J.

Current Situation and Issues of Multilingualisation of Japanese Local Government Websites

Current Situation and Issues of Multilingualisation of Japanese Local Government Websites

Humanitarian co-production in local government: the case of natural disaster volunteering in Japan

ABSTRACT Given ongoing financial stringency, co-production in local government systems worldwide has attracted increasing attention in the literature. Disaster relief volunteering represents an important form of local co-production in which local authorities, community groups and volunteers work collaboratively at addressing the many humanitarian needs that arise following natural disasters. For disaster relief co-production to be successful, the comparative advantages of all participating groups must be harnessed so as to synchronise their contributions and thereby maximise their beneficial impact. Given the sheer scale of cooperative disaster relief operations in Japan involving local government, civic groups and disaster volunteers, much can be learned from the Japanese experience. In this paper, we examine co-production in Japanese disaster relief programs through the prism of the conceptual and empirical literature as well as through two recent illuminative case studies. Various policy implications are drawn from this analysis which are applicable beyond Japanese local government.

中長期的な財源確保に向けた地方財政の課題と対応 ―施設・インフラの老朽化，人口の減少・高齢化を迎えて―

中長期的な財源確保に向けた地方財政の課題と対応 ―施設・インフラの老朽化，人口の減少・高齢化を迎えて―

Judicial Politics in Japanese Local Government Councils:

Judicial Politics in Japanese Local Government Councils:

Participatory budgeting in a local government in a vertical society: A Japanese story

This article examines a case of participatory budgeting in Japanese local government. The article demonstrates how cultural values interact with stages of budgeting (in our case, the co-planning or consultation phase of budgeting). We find three key stakeholders – councillors, administrators and citizens – have varying degree of participation in the budget process. While direct citizen participation has been limited and challenging, we find that local associations and councillors work as lobbyists to influence the budget less publicly. The budget desk led by the mayor plays the dominant role. This article contributes to the broader debate on local government reforms and their translation into varied contexts by problematising such a linear adoption of knowledge from a cultural perspective. Points for practitioners We offer caution to policymakers about the wholesale adoption of knowledge from one context to the other. In the Japanese context, we urge them to draw on the strengths of grouping behaviour. Hence, engagement with associations, communities and various interests groups must be emphasised instead of simply relying on direct yet remote communications to citizens. Political engagements by the departments – perhaps via political parties – can be adopted before budget proposals are made to the local authority council. This will allow more space for the councillors to make their case to citizens, and maintain harmony ( wa) within and between political groups.

Is Bigger Really Better? A Comparative Analysis of Municipal Mergers in Australian and Japanese Local Government

ABSTRACTWhile structural reform by means of municipal mergers has been employed in many different countries, council consolidation has been especially marked in Australian and Japanese local government. This suggests that much can be learned by examining amalgamation through the analytical prism of comparative analysis. In this article, we investigate structural reform through municipal amalgamation in Australian and Japanese local government by examining the aims of amalgamation, the methods employed by public policy makers and the outcomes which were achieved. From this comparative analysis, we attempt to draw some broader lessons for local government policy making aimed at local government reform.