ABSTRACT
There is a paucity of analytical research into how and why government public relations developed over time. In the case of the local government of Tokyo, by looking at the history of its PR-related departments and functions, one can see how they emerged and developed over the course of 150 years, particularly through the years of modernization, militarization, democratization, and economic growth. Six periods are identified as stages of development, during which, in general, the scale and diversity of public relations have constantly evolved. However, the change in political structure after WWII changed the course of development, and since the 1980s, interest in the democratic form of discussion between the government and its people seems to have decreased for several reasons. Tokyo’s case suggests that while democratic political systems promote the development of government public relations, the path of their development is strongly affected by political, economic, and social situations that may set back progress on some fronts.
