In the 1960s, Japan’s rapid economic development brought about various social issues, with the "society of disconnectedness" problem standing out in particular. To address this, the Japanese government introduced comprehensive community policies, calling on local governments to enhance resident participation in communities and to develop localized resident participation systems. This approach aimed to mobilize community strength, strengthen self-governance, and achieve comprehensive community autonomy. This policy is referred to as the “community policy initiative” in Japanese research; here, it is interpreted as Japan’s macro community policy (referred to as macro policy hereafter). Macro policy emphasizes the “fostering” of community resident participation systems, meaning the development of feasible, location-specific systems for resident participation that can be continuously refined and improved in practice. The goal is to increase resident participation rates, enhance the quality of participation, and achieve comprehensive and high-quality resident involvement. Under this policy, Mitaka City, located in the central area of Tokyo, has become a model community for Japan’s community policies after decades of community-building adjustments. The resident participation model of Mitaka City and the historical changes in its community engagement form the core focus of this study.

Ao Wang. Research on Resident Participation in the Implementation of Community Policies in Mitaka City — A Study on Local Resident Participation in the Context of Japan’s Macro Community Policies. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2024) Vol. 7, Issue 11: 16-21. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2024.071103.

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