A government panel on devolution has made an interim report to hasten a review of the duties and obligations that local governments must fulfill under laws and ministry ordinances. In December 2008, it had said that about 4,080 items under 480 laws should be reviewed so that local governments can have more freedom in providing services for local residents and executing other administrative work.

This time the panel calls on the central government to relieve local governments of the duties and obligations related to (1) standards for establishing facilities, (2) procedures that now require consultations with, or approval of, the central government, and (3) planning for projects and related procedures.

It also says that where the central government cannot completely abolish the duties and obligations of local governments, it should change the duties and obligations into "recommendations" for them. Local governments would be able to include their own standards for establishing facilities into their bylaws if the central government opted to give guidelines.

If this happens, the freedom of local governments will be expanded greatly. For example, public housing that, in principle, is now intended for families would be allowed to accommodate elderly people living alone or young part-time workers. Local governments would also have more freedom to open nurseries in urban areas, thus improving services for workers with children.

In its next recommendations this fall, the panel plans to make concrete proposals as to which duties and obligations should be abolished, and which duties and obligations should be changed into recommendations for local governments.

Since these proposals will call for less administrative power on the part of the central government, resistance from ministry bureaucrats is very likely. It is hoped that the panel will do its best to give more freedom to local government. This means abolition of uniform standards and duties imposed on local governments. This would enable local governments to provide optimal services for local residents.