The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism promotes comprehensive regional revitalization support based on the Peninsula Promotion Act, through collaboration with related ministries including Cabinet Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Ministry of the Environment.
Key Points
1. Recognition of Geographic Disadvantage and Support Necessity
- Peninsula regions have three sides surrounded by sea, making land transportation with other regions inconvenient and lagging in national land axis formation
- These geographical constraints have delayed infrastructure development, accumulating disadvantages in industrial infrastructure and living environments
- Population outflow and aging progress rapidly, threatening community sustainability
- Legal basis established to correct disadvantages through intensive support measures, aiming for autonomous development
2. Peninsula Regions Possess Unique Resources
- Blessed with rich natural environments of sea, mountains, and countryside, maintaining unique regional cultures and histories
- Functions as food supply bases and tourism/recreation spaces for the nation
- Plays important roles in territorial sea management, marine resource development, and natural environment conservation
- Positioned as regions contributing to national land diversification and possessing future development potential
3. Cross-Ministerial Comprehensive Support System
- Eight ministries including Cabinet Office implement coordinated policies avoiding vertical segmentation
- Utilizes subsidy rate increases, Peninsula Promotion Measures Project grants, and preferential tax measures
- Covers wide areas from infrastructure development to industrial promotion, tourism development, and settlement promotion
- Flexibly responds to regional characteristics and challenges through local government-led planning
4. Specific Priority Initiatives and Measures
- Transportation infrastructure: Promotion of peninsula loop roads, harbor improvements, and regional public transportation maintenance
- Industrial promotion: Support for primary industry sixth industrialization, regional brand development, and telework environment development
- Tourism promotion: Support for experience-based tourism development and utilization of vacant houses/closed schools
- Settlement support: UIJ-turn promotion, remote medical/educational initiatives, and disaster prevention capability enhancement
5. Future Outlook and Sustainable Development
- Discovery and utilization of regional resources through collaboration with urban areas and related population expansion
- Regional revitalization through digital technology including digitalization and remote work
- Building sustainable communities through renewable energy introduction and decarbonization initiatives
- Creating innovation through collaboration among industry, government, academia, and finance to overcome geographical disadvantages
The article concludes that peninsula promotion policies go beyond simply correcting regional disparities to supporting regions that leverage unique resources to contribute to the nation while achieving autonomous development.