Associations As Quasi-Public Bodies in Japan: Cases of Maintenance and Management of Public Lands

This research focuses on associations to be quasi-public bodies to maintain and manage public lands in Japan. Public lands are generally maintained and managed by governments because the governments have owned them. However, the governments often lease their public lands which are used especially as community farming and growing to associations after they made lease agreements in the USA and the UK. In these cases, associations can show their ideas to maintain and manage the public lands. On the other hands, the governments had only maintained and managed the public lands in Japan. Therefore, associations had not had chances to show their idea to manage and maintain the public lands. However, the Office of Nerima Ward of Tokyo enacted the Ordinance for Liveable Development in 2002. The ordinance has the definition of the community engagement on the public lands. In the Nerima Ward, associations can suggest their idea to manage and maintain public lands to the ward office. Moreover, the ward office authorises the associations as the bodies to manage and maintain the public lands. There is one case authorized by the ward office at present. In this case, there is a finding that the associations are needed to get approval from neighbouring landlords and users to be authorised by the ward office. This is considered that the associations are not just “Not for Profit Organizations” but “quasi-public bodies”.

This research suggests a question why the ward office should authorise associations as the bodies to maintain and manage the public land in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, though local governments make lease agreements with associations in the USA and the UK. Through to resolve this question, this research will clarify the meaning of the association which maintain and manage public lands and the public matter on the Japanese context.