일본의 지방분권개혁

Abstract

In most of the traditional countries, their states have been managed through centralization aimed at the same objective in the name of economic development. In result, authority and financial resources have been centralized while the independent authority of local government disappeared. In addition, it deepened centralization of population resulting in the crisis of industry, life, and culture being collapsed. On the contrary, increased population in large cities has caused the problems such as housing shortage, pollution, and rapid increase of crime. Therefore, local decentralization is being promoted on a global level to solve those problems, realize an efficient government, and ensure fundamental rights of people(resident). In Korea, local decentralization has been promoted through the Special Act on the Decentralization of Authority since 2004, for example. Nevertheless, substantial local decentralization is not accomplished for the reasons of conflict among the departments concerned, formal authority of local decentralization agency, etc. Under this circumstance, this study is aimed at reviewing local decentralization currently being in progress in Japan from the aspect of comparative law to promote successful local decentralization in Korea. Japan has carried out its 1st local decentralization reform in 1995, promoted reform on local finance in 2004, and then has been executing its 2nd local decentralization reform up to now since 2006. The description in detail is as follow. Core things of the 1st reform on local decentralization includes obsoletion of organ delegated affairs, alleviation of state control, transfer of authority to local government, establishment of new dispute resolution system, etc. The 1st reform on local decentralization had some outcome, but still left a number of tasks due to lack of reform from the aspects of tax and source of revenue. Therefore, they promoted reform of local finance that was pointed out as a problem of the 1st reform on local decentralization since 2004, which include tax assignment such as government subsidy, amount to be borne by the National Treasury, local subsidy, transfer of tax revenue, etc. Since then, Japan has been promoting the 2nd reform on local decentralization up to now since 2006 to accomplish consistent reform on local decentralization, core points of which are stated in he recommendations announced over four times by presidential committee on decentralization established under the Local Decentralization Reform Promotion Act; ① Transfer of authority, ② Granting to local government its duty, its standard, and reduction of its control, ③ Reform of local finance system, etc.