Local Voices, National Issues represents a new wave of scholarly interest in local politics and center-local relations in Japan that has been stimulated by the end of the cold war, increasing internationalization, and the issue of “reform.” Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak studies nongovernmental organizations and local internationalization; Sheila A. Smith analyzes the controversial issue of US military bases in Okinawa under former governor Ōta Masahide; Patricia L. Maclachlan deals with calls for reform brought about by revelations of corruption and unethical practices among local bureaucrats; and Theodore J. Gilman explores urban redevelopment politics and policy-making in Omuta. Ellis S. Krauss provides a history of scholarship on local politics and center-local relations in his introduction, and Patricia G. Steinhoff prepares the groundwork for future research by exploring the various relationships between kan (officials) and min (people) found in the new wave of research presented here.

Sheila A. Smith is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at Boston University. She was a Visiting Fellow at the University of the Ryukyus in 1998 and Visiting Associate Professor at the International Institute for Japanese