［September 2014］
Revitalising local economies

As you may know, the population of Japan has begun to decrease. People tend to live in big cities such as Tokyo. The more rural a local government is, the bigger the impact of depopulation becomes.

Under these conditions, rural areas in particular are slipping into a vicious cycle where facilities related to daily life such as schools and hospitals are becoming inconvenient to use, leading to further population decline and a weaker economy. It is said that some rural areas will be extinct in the near future.

To overcome this situation, the Japanese government has just established a new department which has the responsibility of revitalizing rural areas and local economies.

At the same time, it is seriously required for Japanese local governments to develop their own strategies to cope with the economic effects of depopulation focusing on their local resources such as local specialised products and tourism to promote local economy and create stable employment.

The theme of this year’s CLAIR Forum is ‘Revitalise Your City’. We would like to share information and experience on how local government can promote local products, as well as attract jobs, new residents and investment by maximising regional characteristics. I am looking forward to hearing your insight in this matter.