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Regulatory Enforcement in Local Government in Japan
Author(s) -
Kitamura Yoshinobu
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
law and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.534
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-9930
pISSN - 0265-8240
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9930.00095
Subject(s) - enforcement , statute , compliance (psychology) , pace , business , government (linguistics) , process (computing) , law and economics , public administration , political science , law , economics , computer science , psychology , social psychology , linguistics , philosophy , geodesy , geography , operating system
The Japanese inspectors usually adopt an “informal measure‐oriented” style in enforcing violations of regulatory statutes. They prefer administrative guidance with no legally binding effect to compliance orders or criminal prosecution. These formal measures, they think, would erode the cooperative relationship with the regulatee, which is believed essential for cost‐effective enforcement. In contrast to that in the United States, the Japanese enforcement process lacks citizen participation and information disclosure, this enabling the inspectors to deal with violations at their own pace.