OVERVIEW OF TOKYO

THE STRUCTURE OF THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT (TMG)

Tokyo Metropolis, in addition to the 23 special wards (special local public entities) mentioned previously, also contains 39 municipalities - 26 cities (shi), 5 towns (cho) and 8 villages (son) - that comprise ordinary local public entities. The administrative and financial systems for the TMG and its municipalities are the same as those for other general prefectures. The TMG and its individual municipalities work on equal footing in performing the work in these categories, the former handling the broader administrative work and the latter overseeing services closer to the everyday lives of local residents. This integrated process is distinguished by the following elements.

Management of Services

- Firefighting Services, Waterworks
Firefighting services and waterworks are sectors that are generally designated as municipal services by law. In Tokyo Metropolis, however, the prevailing view is that these services can be handled more efficiently on a broader scale and that such an approach also serves to lessen the financial burden. Therefore, with the exception of certain municipalities, the TMG oversees all of these services.

- Joint Operations
As with the operations mentioned above, for services that can be handled with greater effectiveness and efficiency on a broad basis, the related municipalities establish cooperatives serving as special local public entities, based on the stipulations of the Local Autonomy Law.

The number of such cooperatives in the municipalities is 32 and they handle a broad range of services, which include the establishment and management of waste disposal sites and incineration plants, the operation of public hospitals and profit-making projects.

TMG Assistance Programs

To respond to the growing administrative demands for improved regional welfare, environmental countermeasures and other advances, the municipalities constantly review and revise their service operations and strive for even greater efficiency in administrative and financial management. However, against the backdrop of Japan's prolonged economic recession, forecasts are for a decline in the municipal tax flow, which serves as the core source of revenue, as well as cuts in the local allocation tax and national subsidies due to the state's structural reform, rendering it impossible for municipalities to achieve satisfactory administrative management on the strength of their efforts alone.

The TMG addresses this reality by promoting measures aimed at resolving the challenges faced by the Tama Area, the island areas and other outlying districts, as well as furnishing assistance customized for the administrative requirements of each individual municipality.

This assistance includes Municipal Adjustment Allocations, Municipal Promotion Allocations and other TMG-disbursed funding; fiscal support through loans from the Wards and Municipalities Promotion Fund and other sources; technical advice for improvements in large-scale sewerage systems; and various other support programs, all of which contribute to supporting the energetic promotion of wide-scale administration.