Kansai is located in the southern-central part of Japan’s main island and forms the second largest economic center of the country. The Union of Kansai Governments (UKG), an intergovernmental or regional government body, was established to enhance the regional autonomy, seeking ways to reform the existing local government system and propel administrative decentralization in the region. UKG, comprised of eight prefectural governments and four ordinance-designated city governments, forms the country’s largest agglomeration in terms of population, territorial size, and gross domestic product.