The vertical administration control model, or centralization paradigm, has its basis in the
period 1945–1955, when Japan was rebuilding after World War II; it is the traditional
arrangement of intergovernmental relations in which local governments occupy the
subordinate position.
The horizontal political competition model, meanwhile, includes elements of the vertical
administration control model as well as of the central-local political structure created by
politicians. This model, which originated in Japan’s regional development policy of the 1960s
and 1970s, suggests a two-way process. It is also a step toward the interdependent
relationship seen in the third, overlapping authority model in which functions are delegated
by the central government to be implemented by local governments.
Political advocacy for decentralization often reflects the vertical administration control
model, in which local governments find themselves in a disadvantageous position. This line of
thinking, which has become assimilated in politics and administration, is not illogical, but the
issue is more complex than it would first appear. Horizontal competition and interdependence
are involved as politicians tend not to foster decentralization, in the belief that politics is
already adequately decentralized. So, for example, most members of the Diet will be more
concerned with negotiating a favorable status for their districts in resource allocation. Thus,
while the overlapping authority model might be a persuasive interpretation of the reality of
the welfare state, it has not found good friends in politics and administration.