The origins of Japanese planning culture: building a nation–state, 1868-1945

Regional and urban planning is a common policy concern among modern nationstates. It largely defines the quality of life as well as the wealth creation in contemporary society. However, the concept of planning varies among nationstates. In particular, non-Western nation-states, planning was initiated under the influence of the imperialist order. To advance ‘planning theory’, there is a need to understand how the concept of planning is constructed in different culture. This paper shows why planning for late developed states had to aim for nation-state building and how this affected ‘planning culture’ by examining the development of early planning in Japan. The analysis shows that origins of planning and relevant institutions still continue to have pervasive influence on planning policy development even in contemporary Japan.