Japan to allow incapacitated local chiefs to resign

The internal affairs ministry plans to allow deputy leaders of local governments to determine, based on doctors’ diagnoses, the resignation of prefectural governors or municipal mayors who have become incapacitated due to illness or other reasons, according to ministry sources.

The ministry plans to notify local governments of the policy soon.

The move comes after the town assembly of Hachirogata in Akita Prefecture was forced to pass a no-confidence motion against its mayor, who had become unconscious, to enable his resignation.

There is no provision in the local autonomy law allowing heads of prefectural and municipal governments who have become unable to communicate their intentions to step down from office, except through the passage of a no-confidence motion by the assembly and a recall petition by residents.

The Hachirogata town assembly passed the no-confidence motion against then Mayor Kikuo Hatakeyama, who had become unconscious while in office, in May this year. The motion said the decision was a tough but necessary choice.

The town later asked the ministry to establish a new provision allowing local heads’ resignation based on requests from family members or diagnoses by doctors. The National Governors’ Association made a similar request.

In response, the ministry considered ways to address the issue, including consulting academics and other experts.

In the planned notice to local governments, the ministry is expected to say that a leader’s resignation would be allowed if a deputy makes a decision based on a diagnosis by an independent doctor indicating that the chief is unlikely to regain consciousness due to an illness or injury, and report the decision to the local assembly.

Internal affairs minister Hisayuki Fujii is expected to explain the ministry’s interpretation of the local autonomy law within this week.