Local Autonomy Law in the context of "Special cities of Japan"

A city (市, shi) is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as towns (町, machi) and villages (村, mura), with the difference that they are not a component of districts (郡, gun). Like other contemporary administrative units, they are defined by the Local Autonomy Law of 1947.

A designated city (指定都市, shitei toshi; [ɕi̥.tei toꜜ.ɕi, -teː-]) or government ordinance city (政令市, seireishi; [sei.ɾeꜜi.ɕi, seː.ɾeꜜː-]), short for city designated by government ordinance (政令指定都市, seirei shitei toshi; [sei.ɾei ɕi̥.tei toꜜ.ɕi, seː.ɾeː- -teː-]), is a Japanese city that has a population greater than 500,000 and has been designated as such by order of the Cabinet of Japan under Article 252, Section 19, of the Local Autonomy Law.

Designated cities are delegated many of the functions normally performed by prefectural governments in fields such as public education, social welfare, sanitation, business licensing, and urban planning. The city government is generally delegated the various minor administrative functions in each area, and the prefectural government retains authority over major decisions. For instance, pharmaceutical retailers and small clinics can be licensed by designated city governments, but pharmacies and hospitals are licensed by prefectural governments.

Gokishichidō (五畿七道; "five provinces and seven circuits") was the name for ancient administrative units organized in Japan during the Asuka period (AD 538–710), as part of a legal and governmental system borrowed from the Chinese. Though these units did not survive as administrative structures beyond the Muromachi period (1336–1573), they did remain important geographical entities until the 19th century.The Gokishichidō consisted of five provinces in the Kinai (畿内) or capital region, plus seven dō (道) or circuits, each of which contained provinces of its own.

When Hokkaido was included as a circuit after the defeat of the Republic of Ezo in 1869, the system was briefly called Gokihachidō (五畿八道; "five provinces and eight circuits"). The abolition of the han system abolished the -han (early modern feudal domains) in 1871, -dō/circuits and provinces were per se not abolished by the abolition of domains; but the prefectures that sprang from the domains became the primary administrative division of the country and were soon merged and reorganized to territorially resemble provinces in many places. "Hokkai circuit" (Hokkai-dō) was the only -dō that would survive as administrative division, but it was later increasingly treated as "Hokkai prefecture" (Hokkai-dō); finally after WWII, the -dō was fully regarded as a prefecture: from 1946, the prefectures (until then only -fu/-ken) were legally referred to as -dō/-fu/-ken, from 1947 as -to/-dō/-fu/-ken.

The Committee for Settling National-Local Disputes (国地方係争処理委員会, kuni chihō keisō shori i'inkai) is a review board affiliated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan. It is responsible for resolving disputes between the national government and local authorities regarding grants (or denied grants) of national government authority to local governments.

Under the Local Autonomy Law, the Committee is appointed by the Internal Affairs Minister with the consent of both houses of the Diet. It consists of five part-time members (although two may be made full-time as necessary) who serve for a term of three years. Decisions are made by a simple majority of members present at a meeting, with a quorum requirement of three members (including the chairman).