Abstract: This study examines the relationship between municipal IT staffing and “front-yard reform” in Japan. Using the 2024 DX
Survey (n = 1,741 municipalities) and 2020 census data, we compare adoption rates for 14 measures across seven staffing strata. The
results show that foundational services—such as online applications and convenience-store issuance—are adopted even in small
municipalities, whereas operation-intensive measures and application-data capture and use rise markedly from the 4–5 to the 6–10
staff stratum. These findings indicate a staffing-constrained two-tier structure and underscore the importance of shared operations
through prefectural support and inter-municipal cooperation.