Overview of the 2026 White Paper on Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | Chapter 3FY2026 MLIT White Paper: From Recovery to Sustainable Land and Transport Policy

Starting with disaster recovery and reconstruction, the White Paper organizes land use and formation, social-capital development, transport, ocean affairs, land, public-private partnerships, and policy evaluation as integrated challenges for land and transport administration.

For the Noto Peninsula earthquake and heavy rains, all emergency measures at disaster sites facing imminent secondary disasters have been completed, while measures to restore infrastructure functions and permanent recovery are advancing. Earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas of the Great East Japan Earthquake are in the final stage of reconstruction.

In areas affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the five years of the Third Reconstruction and Revitalization Period beginning in FY2026 are positioned as an important period for strongly advancing infrastructure development needed for residents' return, while decontamination and recovery, urban development, and tourism promotion are pursued with local communities.

In tsunami disaster prevention and community development, as of the end of March 2026, inundation assumptions addressing the largest-class tsunamis had been established in 40 prefectures, tsunami disaster warning zones had been designated in 31 prefectures, and comprehensive promotion plans had been prepared by 24 municipalities.

The National Land Formation Plan takes account of population decline and aging, disaster risks, and ecosystem protection, and advances land use that realizes benefits for entire regions, national land management that coexists with nature, and regional living areas where digital and physical spaces are integrated.

In disaster-affected areas, infrastructure recovery and reconstruction-oriented town development will provide the foundation for residents' return, rebuilding their lives, and restoring their means of earning a living. However, difficult living conditions continue in some parts of Fukushima, requiring ongoing support tailored to recovery progress and local challenges.

Preventive maintenance and group management indicate a direction for reducing and leveling costs while maintaining infrastructure safety amid local government staffing and budget constraints. Clarifying inspection and repair priorities and managing facilities at the regional level will support the continued use of roads, water supply systems, and sewerage systems.

Redesigning regional transport will secure access to shopping, medical care, and education and support daily life and safety in areas experiencing population decline. Greater collaboration, data use, and digitalization could help transport operators, local governments, and companies maintain and improve services through cooperation.

Integrated ocean surveys and ocean information, stronger maritime safety capabilities, and international cooperation will support navigational safety, ocean interests, fisheries, and environmental protection. In land policy, responses to land with unknown owners and inadequately managed land will affect disaster recovery, infrastructure development, and the smooth use of land by communities.

By combining visualization of future infrastructure development prospects, public-private partnerships, policy and project evaluation, and the collection of public opinions, the administration aims to improve investment effects, administrative transparency, and policy effectiveness.

The National Land Use Plan establishes regional benefits, wise use that considers disaster risks, and ecosystem protection as basic policies, and clarifies farmland and other areas to be maintained as priorities based on management concepts. The National Land Formation Plan envisions a nationwide corridor network, the Japan Central Corridor, and a seamless hub-connected national land structure, using two-region residence and the formation of regional living areas as implementation measures.

For infrastructure longevity, measures for individual facility longevity plans, inspections, new technologies, and local government support are being advanced based on the Basic Plan of November 2013, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Action Plan of May 2014, and the revision of June 2021. Following the road collapse accident in Yashio City, the government is discussing visualization and prioritization, publishing guidance on group management, and pursuing nationwide expansion.

The Infrastructure Maintenance National Council works with regional forums and meetings of municipal mayors to hold symposia, match challenges with technologies, and present awards. In the road sector, inspections and repairs of bridges, tunnels, and other facilities are being advanced through research and development, plans to promote the introduction of new technologies, performance catalogs, and subsidy programs.

The Sixth Priority Plan for Social Capital Development was approved by the Cabinet in January 2026 and aims to achieve four priority goals by FY2030: sustainable regional communities, a resilient economic society, a green society, and stronger foundations supporting development. Regional block plans and the Infrastructure Future Map present project outlines, completion schedules, and effects.

The Third Basic Plan for Transport Policy covers FY2025 through FY2030 and sets out four pillars: transport adapted to regional challenges, transport networks supporting a growth-oriented economy, safe and secure transport infrastructure, and service evolution through digitalization and new technologies. Measures addressing transport gaps provided approximately 500 instances of support, and 1,644 organizations had joined the public-private partnership platform by the end of FY2025.

Measures addressing transport gaps include a portal for local governments, updated guidance, training, and matching events in six cities nationwide, while development and open-sourcing of a joint vehicle-dispatch management system are being advanced. In April 2025, the Regional Transport DX Project COMmmmONS was launched, and a bill for institutional revisions was submitted to the Diet in March 2026.

Ocean policy promotes maritime safety, passenger vessel safety, remote-island conservation, offshore wind power, zero-emission vessels, ocean drones, and ocean-related human resources based on the Fourth Basic Plan on Ocean Policy and priority strategies for ocean development and related fields. The Umishiru system handles more than 250 categories of ocean data on maps and also provides an API.

At Okinotorishima, observation, inspection and repair of seawalls and other facilities, and updates to observation bases are being conducted as the foundation of an exclusive economic zone of approximately 400,000 square kilometers. Based on the Low-Tide Line Conservation Act and related laws, 185 low-tide line conservation areas have been designated, while port facilities are being developed and managed at Minamitorishima and Okinotorishima.

To strengthen maritime safety capabilities, Japan is expanding patrol vessels and aircraft, deploying unmanned aircraft and new technologies, coordinating with related organizations, and improving personnel and workplace conditions. In FY2025, four large patrol vessels, one medium-sized helicopter, and two unmanned aircraft entered service; by the end of FY2025, a total of 159 deployments had been made to 23 countries, and 28 online training sessions had been conducted for eight countries and one organization.

Land policy is improving land use and management through the Act on Special Measures Concerning Land with Unknown Owners, revisions to the Basic Act for Land, reviews of the basic civil legal system, and revisions to that legislation. A vacant-lot guideline was published in April 2025, and notification requirements concerning the nationality and other details of rights acquirers were added through enforcement of the Regulations for Enforcement of the National Land Use Planning Act in July 2025 and April 2026. Cadastral surveys are based on the Seventh Ten-Year Plan for the National Land Survey Project for FY2020 through FY2029.