Rural Municipalities’ Tactics for Intergovernmental Lobbying to Secure Human Resources: A Comparative Study on South Korea and Japan

Nawakura, Akio

Rural Municipalities’ Tactics for Intergovernmental Lobbying to Secure Human Resources: A Comparative Study on South Korea and Japan

James Alexander Gordon on 30th October 2025

Author Information

Akio Nawakura, National Federation of Depopulated Municipalities in Japan, Japan

Abstract

This paper examines how rural local governments in Japan and South Korea lobby their central governments to secure human resources for agriculture. While both countries face similar challenges—aging populations, depopulation, and agricultural labor shortages—the study argues that their intergovernmental lobbying strategies differ significantly. Using a comparative case study of Japan and South Korea, the author analyzes policy documents, newspaper articles, and interviews. The findings show that Japanese local governments request not only financial assistance but also policy guidance, institutional frameworks, and informational support from the central government. This reflects the limited policy-analysis capacity of many Japanese local governments, which often lack dedicated research institutions. In contrast, South Korean provincial governments primarily lobby for increased financial support, such as subsidies. Unlike their Japanese counterparts, Korean provinces generally possess stronger research and planning capacities through provincial think tanks and Agricultural Research and Extension Services. As a result, they can design and implement policies independently and require fewer policy guidelines from the central government. The paper concludes that differences in local governments’ policy-analysis capacity help explain variations in lobbying behavior. Where local governments have stronger analytical resources, they tend to seek funding; where such capacity is weaker, they seek both financial and informational support.