抄録 | According to a preliminary bulletin from the 2015 national census, most regions in Japan, including large cities, are experiencing an accelerated decline in population. In the Census conducted ten years prior, 38 prefectures saw declining population while nine saw An increasing population. The 2015 census is the first official survey that shows Osaka Moving to negative growth and only Okinawa, Tokyo, and Aichi with growing populations. Most local municipalities in the suburbs of Tokyo and other large cities should experience the elderly population to continue to grow while the productive population decreasing. In addition, due to increases in households of single person or nuclear families of three or less, adiluted sense of community is increasing in these areas. Thus, as fiscal difficulties of local governments increase, the needs of residents should become more diverse, complex, andadvanced. Increasing administrative decentralization means that the responsibility for decisions that challenge these issues appropriately rests on these local governments. This study examines the policies of the former Kitamoto City mayor, Ishizu, in Saitama Prefecture over the period of twelve years from 2003 to 2015, regarding (1) administrative policy reforms, (2) regional economic vitalization policies, (3) education and culture policies, and (4) low birthrates and aging. The study also discusses the issues faced by local governments and their future policy directions. |