SGRA Kawaraban (Essay) in English
Xia Zhihai “Regional Revitalization”
Does “Regional Revitalization” go well? I do not know exactly what they are doing? What crosses my mind are “Yuru-kyara” (heartwarming characters) and promotion videos for “Machi-okoshi” (revitalization of towns). However, by such means only, how do people who are living in central Tokyo know about people who are living in regional towns? Are there any people in central Tokyo who like to visit regional towns? Does the population in regional towns increase? Regional revitalization is not an issue of regional towns; rather, it is a national issue. The national government sets up “Headquarter for Revitalization, Town, People and Job” (Headquarter) and local governments are also working out their own plans for revitalization.
For example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is promoting a policy which expedites moving the young people to regional towns, naming the policy “Cooperation Units for Regional Revitalization”. It helps people find jobs and houses in regional towns. If they like to start a business there, they shall be also supported financially. Usually, such scheme is implemented for a few years only, but according to the data of the Headquarter, as of the end of June 2015, about 60 percent of the people , especially the young, who have been moved, continue to stay in the same towns. I think this project is successful since there are actual results already.
Another scheme called Continued Care Retirement Community- (CCRC) was announced by the Expert Committee, according to the data of the Headquarter.. This scheme supports the aged retirees who are living in the Tokyo metropolitan area or big cities when they voluntarily move to regional towns. It is great that the program provides life-supports to the aged even after their relocation. Thus, the aged can stay healthy and keep an active life in their new community. The scheme also aims to maintain a system that will provide medical and personal care to the aged when needed. I think the scheme is helpful and can give a chance to the aged who, after their retirement, are hesitating to decide to live peacefully in regional towns.
Despite a lot of such good programs for regional revitalization, why do I feel a big gap between big cities and regional towns? I am now living in a regional city and I very seldom to go to Tokyo for my job. During my going to and returning from Tokyo, I feel a big difference in temperature (not in climate but in feeling) between Tokyo and regional towns. Tokyo is an energetic city. We cannot feel any dullness there, having a lot of visitors for sightseeing and anticipating the Olympic Games five years later. On the other hand, I do not feel in my town, any atmosphere that people like to revitalize their home town.
It is not so effective when programs for regional vitalization or revitalization are worked out by the government alone. It is important that inhabitants of the region are living happily, able to extend their life-span, and invite, by themselves, outsiders move into their region. For example, if regional residents ask advertising agencies in Tokyo to prepare promotion videos for local revitalization and upload these in “YouTube”, they have to pay certain fees to the agencies in Tokyo. That is reversing the logical order of things. This would not be the case, if the residents, themselves, had prepared the promotional materials. The advertising agencies should, at least, return whatever materials have been prepared by the residents. In this case, the residents should customize those programs, which the government has prepared for them to meet the local situation. Vitalization or revitalization starts at the place actually being operated. There are already differences between areas which are being vitalized/revitalized and areas which do not have this program. It may be my selfish supposition that successful regions for revitalization may be those places where are conveniently accessible to/from Tokyo, as a result of the residents’ efforts.
A sense of urgency is required for regional revitalization hereafter. I am afraid that if regional residents fail to keep up with the current revitalization movement, the depopulation of their regions would advance immediately. Regional revitalization will depend on whether the residents of these regions shall take the initiative or not..
(A full-time lecturer, Kyoai Gakuen University)
Translated by Kazuo Kawamura
English checked by Mac Maquito