Sagamihara City in Kanagawa Prefecture is a designated city with a population of 725,000. Facing a rapid deterioration in its finances, the city thoroughly reviewed its existing public facilities. It considered abolishing or transferring 27 city facilities to the private sector. It also reviewed 66 subsidies to various organizations. It reduced or revised subsidies, including the abolition of the Respect for the Aged Day Grant. In addition to these reviews, Sagamihara City essentially froze new projects in its initial budget for fiscal year 2020. It continued to thoroughly review expenditures in fiscal year 2021, implementing almost no new projects. By implementing this reform plan, it achieved a rapid recovery by the end of fiscal year 2022. Shimojo Village in Nagano Prefecture also reduced its village staff from 51 to 34, freeing up funds. It quickly used these funds to provide free medical care for children and even free tuition for high school students. The village’s improved childcare and medical care programs have led to an increase in people moving from nearby areas. Furthermore, a company that recognized the village’s child-rearing policies has seen a positive effect by building a factory in the village.
Simplifying government administration has led to increased prosperity for residents, as seen around the world. In one village in Switzerland, all staff members, including the village mayor, work part-time. The village hall’s facilities include a school, a business, and a cafe facing the plaza. The convenience store is open only in the mornings. The village hall serves many functions. The library is only open once a week. The village council meets in the multipurpose room, where the nine council members gather for discussions. Civil servants at the village hall are generally employed on four-year contracts with no bonuses or raises. They also have side jobs in agriculture and tourism, and by repairing farm and forest roads and clearing snow, residents enjoy some of the highest incomes in the world.
Municipalities with low tax revenues are cutting back on funding for various cultural facilities. As of October 1, 2018, there were 3,360 libraries nationwide (including similar facilities). While these human resources are necessary to maintain the cultural standard of the nation, Japan is losing the financial resources to secure them. Without this financial flexibility, the idea of hiring multi-taskers is emerging. One example is a village employee working eight hours at the library on Tuesdays, eight hours at the museum on Wednesdays, and eight hours at the town hall (including side jobs ,helping out at local farms and working part-time at a convenience store) for three days a week, with two days off. It seems we are approaching an era in which the government must respond flexibly to maintain cultural facilities, improve resident services, and pursue profits using public facilities.
In Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, there is Sontoku Shrine, dedicated to Ninomiya Sontoku. His success in Sakuramachimine still serves as a model for reconstruction today. Even in the devastated Sakuramachimine area, there were fields with potential for productivity, and if villagers could use their strengths, there was potential to increase productivity. However, if you consume beyond your means (which today would be the financial capacity of a city, town, or village), you will gradually become poorer. Understanding your means and striving to live within that means will allow you to demonstrate your productive abilities, earn profits, and lead to prosperity.
