In 2000, the role of the Comprehensive Decentralization Law was expanded to clarify the division of roles between central and local governments, to eliminate the program for clerical work commissioned to outside agencies, to set up rules for the central government’s interference, and to promote unique administration by local governments. As a result of the nationwide promotion of municipal mergers since 1999, 3,232 municipalities as of March 31st, 1999, came to 1,727 as of March 31st, 2009. Municipal mergers have made considerable progress, strengthening the financial and administrative foundations of basic municipalities. (There are 1,718 municipalities as of January 1st, 2024)
 Japan has entered the phase of population decline, and the elderly population will reach its peak in 2040. In order for basic municipalities　to sustainably provide administrative services, Japan has recently been promoting the formation of “self-support settlement regions”　and “core regional urban areas” and providing a framework for cooperation between a wide variety of areas that do not rely on mergers,　including　cooperation between municipalities and prefectures, thereby supporting efforts tailored to the state of a region.
 Also, assuming that management resources necessary for providing administrative services will become considerably limited, the　LAB has revised the scope of tasks performed by employees and promoted automation and labor-saving. In this way, the LAB actively　supports continuous administrative reforms at individual local governments so that new administrative services that are not an extension　of existing services can be provided.

Basic Resident Registration Network System

 The Basic Resident Registration Network System is an indispensable foundation for building electronic central and local government. This network allows people to follow various administrative procedures without attaching a copy of their resident record and to participate in various pension programs without submitting a report on their current pensioner’s status.

Social security and tax number (Individual Number) system

 The Individual Number system has been introduced as the foundation of fairer and more just social security and tax systems and also　as infrastructure for increasing convenience for the people and administrative efficiency in the digital society.
 The Individual Number Card is a “passport in the digital society” that enables secure and reliable identity verification, irrespective of in-person or not. Therefore, the LAB promotes understanding regarding the Individual Number Card and strives to develop a favorable environment for application to acquire the Card so that all people who want the Card can acquire it and so the scope of its use can be expanded.

Promotion of DX at the regional level

 Regarding administrative services provided by local governments and the resolution of regional problems, in order to increase convenience for residents, the government steadily promotes initiatives by local governments across the country while playing the leading role in using digital technology and data.

Promotion of creating local employment and expanding consumption by taking advantage of local materials

 In order to maintain and strengthen regional vitality in regions where the population decline and aging of society are pronounced, the LAB supports business startups and new projects (local startups) that contribute to the resolution of regional problems using regional human, financial, and other resources. By taking advantage of community-oriented startups, the LAB will increase jobs and consumption at the regional level and expands virtuous circles created in regional economies. The LAB is also promoting distributed energy infrastructure projects that create energy systems suited for local production and local consumption in cooperation with ministries and agencies.

Further development of local human resources and organizations

 In order to create a flow of people and information to regions, the LAB strives to create and expand the number of “the related population,” who are involved in a certain region on an ongoing basis and in various ways. Regarding the Local Revitalization Cooperators, who aim to settle in regional areas while engaging in regional cooperation activities, the LAB develops an environment in which such cooperators can work closely with regional areas through enhancing training courses and supporting startups. The LAB is also promoting the Regional Revitalization Entrepreneur Initiative, which uses employees of companies located in urban areas as human resources capable of immediately contributing to regional revitalization.
 In order to establish an initiative system for residents to solve local issues, the LAB supports the formation and sustainable operation of regional management organizations that bring together and coordinate various local bodies. In addition, for regions with unfavorable conditions, including depopulated areas, it supports the formation of Community Network Zones, placing core communities at the center. Also, the LAB supports business cooperatives that dispatch human resources depending on companies’ demand in rapidly depopulating areas in order to secure human resources who play a central role in regional industries.
 In addition, the LAB is considering establishing the Hometown Resident Registration System with the existing efforts of local governments in mind, in order to visualize the related population, which enables anyone to register a certain region as their “hometown,” and deepen ties with the local community.

Promotion of internationalization of regions

 The LAB promotes various globalization measures, such as facilitating multicultural coexistence in regional areas, including the promotion of the JET program to invite young people overseas and advance international exchange at the regional level, the provision of administrative and everyday-life information to foreign residents, and the provision of further support to such residents in their everyday lives.

 Local public employees, who have an important role of promoting decentralization and regional revitalization, need an environment in which they can maximize their performance and achieve efficient and effective administrative operations. To this end, the LAB aims to establish a local public employee system adaptable to changes in social situations and advance necessary reforms.
 In recent years, various initiatives are being promoted, such as improving working conditions for local government employees, encouraging female local government employees to play an active role, establishing personnel evaluation systems, and having appropriate wages and staffing, as well as promoting the acquisition of childcare leave by male employees, implementing a mutual aid system for benefits and making safe and comfortable workplaces. In addition, efforts are being made to eliminate staff shortages at affected local governments in the event of a major natural disaster.

Planning and drafting an election system

 Elections form the most important system for enabling citizens to participate in politics and is the basis of Japan’s democratic politics. The Election Department　(ED) of the LAB plans and drafts policies to ensure that the will of citizens is　reflected fairly and effectively in national and regional politics through the election system.

Managing and executing election appropriately

 In collaboration with the electoral administrative commissions of prefectures　and municipalities nationwide, the ED works to appropriately manage and　execute national elections and other polls and makes the best efforts to create a　situation where people can approach voting in elections smoothly and improve　the convenience of electorates. The ED also provides the electorates with　information about elections as well as encourages them to go to polls to express　their opinions and takes measures to develop the electorate’s awareness of　politics.

Operating the political fund system appropriately

 For the sound development of democracy, the ED works to operate, plan, and draft the Political Funds Control Act, which regulates the publication, provision, and reception of the income and expenditure of political funds, and the Party Subsidies Act, which stipulates party subsidies.

 While local governments have a significant role to play in promoting regional DX, many of small municipal governments are facing challenges in securing and training workers with digital skills amid the nationwide shortage of such workers. In light of that situation, the LAB promotes efforts to secure and train workers with digital skills at local governments, including the development of a framework of cooperation between prefectural and municipal governments

〈Major initiatives〉

• (i) Ordinary allocation tax for the prefectural governments which hire full-time personnel supporting　municipal governments with specific practical experience or qualifications in the digital domain, calculated at approximately 7.8 million yen per person, depending on the number of such personnel.
• (ii) Cover 70% of the expenditures necessary for securing workers with digital skills (excluding those described above) with special local tax grants in order to facilitate support for municipal governments provided by prefectural governments.
• (iii) Enhance the professional advisor system to support the DX initiative and training for local government employees at various training organizations.
• (iv) Compile a guidebook as a reference for local governments when securing and training workers with digital skills.
• (v) Compile a collection of reference cases regarding the development of organizational systems and the DX of internal administrative affairs at local governments in addition to securing and training workers with digital skills.