Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/44244

Community development movements, which emerged in Japan in the 1980, are believed to have contributed to regional rejuvenation through the restructuring of communities as well as through economic development. The movements originally developed under administrative leadership, however the nature of regional development has changed drastically due to the decentralization of Japan's political system and socio-economic changes in Japan's rural society. Changes were further accelerated by the rise of nonprofit activities in the late 1990s. This article tries to analyze the types of experts involved in these movements. Three typical types of experts are found in community development, and their development stages are described. To prevent over-involvement by such experts, the author proposes the idea of flexible expertise and limited liability experts based on an intensive review of literature and an analysis of cases.