Open the Public Space: Do Local Referendums Revitalize Deliberative Democracy in Japan?

Introduction

Up until the 1990s, local referendums hardly ever took place in Japan. Since then, however, referendums have been used to debate environmental issues, public works projects, the US military base, consolidation of municipalities, and public facilities. This essay attempts to highlight some of the strengths and limitations of direct democracy in Japan by analyzing local referendums. The inquiry starts with three questions: 1) why is the number of local referendums increasing; 2) is there dialogue between the citizens and their representatives; and 3) have there been any changes in how representative (or participatory) the democracy is?

Takeda (2017) analyzed the local referendums that were held between 1996 and 2017; approximately 350 of those cases dealt with consolidation of municipalities. From 1999 to 2010, in what is known as “the Great Consolidation of Heisei”, the number of municipalities decreased from 3200 to 1700. And there were 39 cases of referendums held on “important and contentious” themes. Referendums that garnered domestic attention include, for example: the August 1996 referendum on whether to construct a nuclear plant in Maki town, Niigata prefecture and the September 1996 referendum of the US military bases in Okinawa prefecture. In particular, the referendum on the Tokushima City Yoshinogawa River Dam (held in January 2000) was a turning point that sparked discussion about large-scale public works projects. Similarly, Okinawa held a consequential referendum on the relocation of the Futenma US military base in February 2019. Evidently, Japanese citizens have had more opportunities to directly express their views. However, do more referendums mean that Japan is becoming a more democratic society – or is this more so a crisis of democratic representation?

In general, referendums can be good for representative democracy insofar as the outcome can inform the decision-making process. However, some local assemblies may still decide to overturn the results of the referendum all together. For instance, some leaders might avoid discussing the referendum results, even if its demands are clear. While the results of a referendum can be a very important source of information, the results themselves are non-binding, meaning that referendum results cannot be used to compel representatives to decide in a certain way. Calling for a referendum is difficult and requires a great deal of preparation, but the events leading up to the decision to call for the referendum provide critical insight into the local democratic process in Japan.

Imai (2000) coined the term “audience democracy”. Imai argued that, while many Japanese claim to understand the importance of democracy, they are reliant on politicians and bureaucrats. Citizens depend on political decision and governmental services provided. The citizens are controlled well before they know by their representations. An inhabitant just watches local matters as similar to a spectator. On the other hand, Imai appreciated citizens’ effort to realize local referendums in Maki town, Mitaka town, and Tokushima city. Do the Japanese become a spectator or a citizen? This article regards the challenges of local referendums as a lesson of democracy and focus on the necessity of dialogue through local referendum campaigns. This article comprises of three parts: (1) history (the theme of local referendums), (2) theory (local referendums and representative democracy), and (3) a local referendum in Matue city in Shimane Prefecture.