Planning history in Japan

The planning system which dominates most of the comtemporary world is of European and American origin. It has come out of the particular socio-historical background of these Western countries and has naturally had some implicit assumptions regarding the concepts, purposes and ideology of planning. This system has been exported to, and often imposed upon, countries with different social conditions where those assumptions are not necessarily valid. As a result, in many developing countries, planning is considered ineffective, and planners become frustrated.