1.History and Outline of the Association

The Nippon Urban Management and Local Government Research Association (NUMLGRA) was founded on 23rd June 1984 during a founding convention held in Osaka with its purpose as an interdisciplinary and international research organization.

The objectives of the Association are as follows: (1) promoting theoretical and political research works for more scientific, modernistic and democratic local autonomy systems, (2) contributing to local autonomy development.

To accomplish these objectives, the Association has taken some activities as follows: (1) holding a national convention annually and regional meetings at regular times in the year, (2) publishing bulletins and collected papers on the latest issues in local autonomy and administration, (3) offering new public policies, (4) doing joint research with related parties, (5) encouraging friendly relationships among members, and so on.

The Association consists of 288 individual members and 3 institutional members. The individual members include 152 scholars, 80 Certified Public Accountants, 41 officials from concerned administrative bodies, and others (as of September 2001).

2.Annual National Convention (1985–2000)

The annual national convention of the Association is usually held every autumn. At each convention, a common theme is set up by the host university. As the problems related to local autonomy are various and complicated, the Association needs to adopt interdisciplinary approaches to tackle them. Therefore, researchers in many different fields are invited to present works at the convention.

1. 1st“Current Issues of Local Autonomy”, Kobe University of Commerce, January 1985.
2. 2nd“Local Autonomy and Regional Activation”, Nihon University, November 1985.
3. 3rd“Information Society and Local Autonomy”, Toyo University, July 1986.
4. 4th“Administrative Reform and Local Autonomy”, Hannan University, October 1987.
5. 5th“Local Autonomy in Age of Internationalization”, Nihon University, November 1988.
6. 6th“Local Autonomy in the Information-oriented Age”, Chubu University, September 1989.
7. 7th“Performance Evaluation and Local Autonomy”, Chuo University, October 1990.
8. 8th“Local Autonomy and Regional Development”, Kobe University of Commerce, September 1991.
9. 9th“Local Autonomy and Administration in Wider Area”, University of Osaka Prefecture, October 1992.
10. 10th“Decentralization of Power and Regional Management; Philosophy and Policies”, University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences, September 1993.
11. 11th“Japan Sea Rim and Regional Development”, Akita University of Economics and Law, September 1994.
12. 12th“Urban Community and Earthquake Disaster”, Konan University, September 1995.
13. 13th“Evolution of Information-Oriented Society and Local Autonomy”, Meiji University, September 1996.
14. 14th“Decentralization”, Kansai University, September 1997.
15. 15thThe symposium section I, “Environmental Issues and Local Society”, The symposium II, “Local Autonomy and Accountability”, Senshu Ishinomaki University, September 1998.
16. 16th“Administrative Reform and Fiscal Reconstruction”, Kwansei Gakuin University, November 1999.
17. 17th“Financial Burdens and Asset Accumulation of Local Government”, Wako University, September 2000.

3.Publications

The Association issues a bulletin entitled the Journal of Urban Management and Local Government Research. It is issued twice a year, and until now, it has been issued twenty-nine times, the latest one being volume 16 number 2.

The first bulletin of the year consists of presentations and extracts from the symposium under the common theme of the previous national convention, summaries of voluntary presentation sessions, and presentations at each regional branch. The second bulletin of the year consists of papers contributed by members, book reviews, and other articles.

The titles of the papers are remarkably various, and they reflect the nature of the Association as an interdisciplinary study group. The topics of the papers can be classified broadly into six categories: theories and systems of local autonomy, local administration, local finance, local public enterprises, public accounting, and regional planning.

A local autonomy study series was approved by the Association board of directors in September 1995. The publication plan contains two points of view: presenting problems about the new era of local autonomy, and publishing specialized research achievements in an accessible form.

4.Trends and Projections for the Association

The Association is composed of researchers and scholars from various specialized fields in social science, and has actively contributed to the development of local autonomy. It has adhered to interdisciplinary approaches and has encouraged research communication among scholars and practitioners.

Presently, the Association is confronted with new social requests in theoretical and practical fields in order to face newly arising social conflicts within our society.

The Association faces three active dimensions. First is the field where people live and are active. Second is the field where the inertia operates of a regional feeling, which residents have retained for many years. Third is the field of local administration and local public finance.

Confronted with these issues, the Association cannot continue to employ the existing measures reflecting the empiricism of the public and private sectors. New optimal resolutions and practical ones are required for local autonomy.

Considering such situations, the Association has reviewed its own administrative system, and has come up with action plans including opening the national convention to the public, encouraging interdisciplinary participation, and strengthening research activities and publications.