自治体(じちたい)

じちたい
noun
local government, municipality
legal
1. local government, municipality, local authority
A self-governing administrative body at the regional or local level. In Japan, this includes prefectures (都道府県) and municipalities (市町村). Frequently encountered in news and official contexts.
自治体(じちたい)が補助金(ほじょきん)を出(だ)す。
The local government provides a subsidy.
各(かく)自治体(じちたい)がゴミの分別(ぶんべつ)ルールを定(さだ)めている。
Each municipality sets its own rules for garbage separation.
少子化(しょうしか)対策(たいさく)として、多(おお)くの自治体(じちたい)が子育(こそだ)て支援(しえん)を充実(じゅうじつ)させている。
As a countermeasure to the declining birth rate, many municipalities are enhancing their childcare support.

Usage

自治体(じちたい) is a common word in news, politics, and daily life. Japan's local government system has two layers: 都道府県(とどうふけん) (prefectures) and 市町村(しちょうそん) (cities, towns, and villages). 自治体(じちたい) can refer to either level. The formal legal term is 地方公共団体(ちほうこうきょうだんたい), but 自治体(じちたい) is the everyday word.

Common collocations

Related Words

Related: 地方自治(ちほうじち) (local self-government)
Related: 市区町村(しくちょうそん) (municipalities)
Compare: 行政区(ぎょうせいく) (administrative district)
Compare: 行政機関(ぎょうせいきかん) (administrative agency)
general
Added 2026.2.27 16:47 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
13500/13946_jichitai