The tourism ministry plans to strengthen financial support for town development efforts by municipalities that utilize historical tourism resources in fiscal 2026. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/02/japan/japan-tourism-subsidy-historical-resourcs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #tourism #localgovernment #mlit
Local governments across Japan are stepping up efforts to tackle abusive behavior by residents and other individuals. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/26/japan/local-governments-harassment/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #localgovernment #customerharassment
Nearly 15 years since the meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, local residents are seeing a mismatch between government subsidies creating jobs and people actually returning. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/26/japan/fukushima-employment-subsidy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #fukushima #311 #fukushimano1 #jobs #localgovernment
A 35-year-old independent candidate has been elected governor of Fukui Prefecture after his predecessor resigned over a sexual harassment scandal. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/26/japan/politics/35-year-old-elected-fukui-governor/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #fukui #takatoishida #localgovernment
The land ministry said Friday that it has been looking into whether local governments nationwide are aware of the nationalities of residents living in public housing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/23/japan/public-housing-residents-nationality/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #housing #nationality #surveys #mlit #localgovernment
Japan’s government has asked prefectures to lead efforts to secure hotels as shelters during large-scale disasters. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/19/japan/japan-hotel-use-as-shelters/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #hotels #localgovernment #disasterpreparedness #earthquakes
Residents of Tokyo’s 23 wards may soon be required to pay to get their waste collected. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/14/japan/tokyo-garbage-collection-fee/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #tokyo #localgovernment #waste
In a model project by the internal affairs ministry, municipalities in the countryside are collaborating with university students from urban areas in order to leverage young people's ideas for regional revitalization. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/02/japan/society/rural-municipalities-students/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #localgovernment #students #wakayama #ehime #depopulation
Japan is set to begin another round of screening for locations seeking to develop integrated resorts including casinos, following Osaka’s approval in 2023. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/29/japan/new-casino-resort-site-selection/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #casinos #tourism #osaka #hokkaido #tokyo #localgovernment
Japan’s efforts to to halt rural depopulation and revive its countryside have failed because jobs alone are insufficient, requiring a broader focus on quality of life, productivity and realistic population goals. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/12/26/japans-regional-revitalization-policy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #depopulation #japaneseeconomy #meti #robots #localgovernment #rurallife #tech
A Japanese prefecture is considering stopping hiring foreign nationals in order to protect confidential information, particularly in light of a Chinese law requiring its citizens to cooperate with intelligence agencies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/society/mie-prefecture-foreigner-hiring/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #mie #localgovernment #expats #jobs #personalinformation
Japan adopted a strategy on regional revitalization, such as drawing more tourists to rural areas, designed to help realize a strong economy — a goal of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/local-revitalization-strategy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #japaneseeconomy #sanaetakaichi #disasterpreparedness #localgovernment
Okinawa Prefecture’s image of “islands blessed with children” might not be entirely accurate when it comes to its remote islands and isolated communities, which struggle with acute depopulation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/22/japan/society/okinawa-remote-islands-depopulation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #okinawa #population #depopulation #rurallife #localgovernment
Japan's next-generation ETC records and visualizes the driving histories of vehicles equipped with onboard units, and the government aims to harness this large-scale data for a variety of public and economic purposes. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/17/japan/etc-data-use/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #expressways #driving #mlit #tourism #localgovernment #disasterpreparedness
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@futuresprog
> You’ve got quite a good explainer on rates in your thread
Thanks, good summary.
> Council rates need to go up because of inflation, otherwise we’re getting worse services
When you factor in inflation, the rates cap will effectively keep rates from rising *at all*. Despite years of being kept unsustainably low, given increasing populations, cost increases imposed by climate change, etc.
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@futuresprog
> More services should be funded via income tax
Tax in general. For reasons explained in a number of my recent threads about #LocalGovernment. Devolution of central govt responsibility to councils without ongoing funding being a *major* one.
In at least one thread I proposed that central govt return 50% of income taxes derived from an area to local bodies, and take 50% of the rates take. Then they can devolve functions, cut targeted funding, and cap rates, all they like.
Track Surveillance (Flock Cameras) Tech in Local Government Meetings
#HackerNews #TrackSurveillance #FlockCameras #LocalGovernment #TechNews #PrivacyConcerns
A total of 49 cases of groundwater use by individuals or entities believed to be foreign have been identified across Japan as of October, a government survey shows. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/16/japan/society/groundwater-use-foreigners/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #surveys #water #localgovernment
Sunday's mayoral election in the city of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, held due to the ouster of former Mayor Maki Takubo, resulted in the first-time election of former city council member Kazuya Sugimoto. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/15/japan/politics/ito-mayor-fails-reelected/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ito #shizuoka #localgovernment #makitakubo
Japan’s land ministry is considering granting prefectures authority to coordinate efforts to preserve scenic landscapes that extend across municipal boundaries, sources said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/14/japan/prefectures-coordinate-landscape-protection/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #localgovernment #environment #tourism
More Japanese municipalities now have ordinances in place for measures to support victims of crime in their jurisdiction. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/12/japan/crime-legal/municipalities-crime-victims-support/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #surveys #localgovernment #japanesepolice #nationalpoliceagency