著者

森脇 俊雅

出版者

Japanese Association of Electoral Studies

雑誌

選挙研究 (ISSN:09123512)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.9, pp.40-52,139, 1994

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Since the end of September in 1992 Amagasaki city council had been severely criticized by citizen groups due to the council members' mismanagement on their official observation trips to other cities in the past. At that time the council members denied their wrong doings and attempted to hide their official records on the trips despite citizen's strong request. Citizen groups accused them and required them to make all the records public. A neutral, independent and special investigation committee was organized in the end of January, 1993. This committee intensively investigated the records and interviewed individual council members in the spring. Finally the committee concluded most of their reports on the trips were false and inappropriate. Then, the committee suggested council members should return the money and resign from the council.<br>At first, the council members resisted resignation, but were forced to dissolve before overwhelming criticism on May 25. New council members were elected on June 27. In this election almost half of the former members were forced to retire from the council. Then, two-thirds of the city council were new members. The number of women doubled. The members from new party and citizen movements increased. Thus Amagasaki city council drastically changed after the election. The new city council organized subcommittee for reform and began to make reform plans. Now, traditional style of politics or the so-called boss control disappeared. New democratic politics has jnst started in Amagasaki city council.<br>The process and activities in Amagasaki were similar to the tide of national politics in recent Japan. In other words, Amagasaki city council election in 1993 was a harbinger of the drastic change of Japanese politics in the summer of 1993. More important is that this structural change was brought by citizens' participation.