Municipal mergers and dissolutions in Japan

Municipal mergers and dissolutions carried out in Japan (市町村合併, shichōson gappei) have occurred since the Meiji era to join the facilities and legal boundaries of municipal districts, towns, and cities. Often, these mergers are driven by a necessity to consolidate villages and 'natural settlements' into larger-scale cities as modernization progressed and consolidation was promoted to provide greater access to public facilities and schools.