The Korea Local Administration Review

Under the trend of decentralization the concept of residents sovereignty isrecently attracting considerable attention from the academic field of politicalsciences and public administration. While we are familiar both with popularsovereignty and prince sovereignty, the notion of residents sovereignty is notwell-known.Even though it may be conceivable to find out a substantial aspect of thenotion of residents sovereignty, it can be used to a large extent since the late21 century in Japan. For the purpose of enhancing vitality of residents-basedautonomy a new concept of sovereignty is needed in Japan in which the notionof popular sovereignty has been closely something to do with the localgovernment based on institution-based local autonomy.In addition, owing to the newly emerging environment characterized byimportance of sustainable development and disappointment with decentralizationreform so far in Japan a new local political system based on citizenparticipation has been suggested as a tool to make the system moreaccountable to residents in the process of dealing with local matters. Theconcept of residents sovereignty has rooted in the circumstance in Japan.Put in anther way, the notion of residents sovereignty functions as atheoretical basis for developing a political system featured by the principle suchas of residents, by residents, and for residents. It can said that the notion ofresidents sovereignty should be sound and solid enough to vitalize localautonomy from a perspective of residents.
□ Keywords: popular sovereignty, residents sovereignty, regional sovereignty,home-rule, localism