Historical Background and Roles of Japan Association of City Mayors(JACM)
Japan Association of City Mayors (JACM) formerly known as United Council of Western Regional Cities celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1998.
JACM comprises mayors of all Japanese cities which today number 693（including 23 Tokyo special wards）. It is run on contributions from these cities.
In order to build better local communities, JACM promotes the decentralization of power, calling on the national government to improve a range of systems, and carrying out activities to expand the sources of local tax revenue and obtain a part of the national budget.
In this context, JACM holds a variety of meetings and set up special committees and consultative committees to conduct research and to ensure that requests from member cities will be met.
JACM is entitled by law to submit to the cabinet or the Diet a written opinion or recommendation regarding legislation which may affect local autonomy.
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The municipal system was enacted in 1889 , as a result , 39 cities and 15,820 towns and villages came into existence |