Tsukuba Science City as the pace of urban development accelerates. In the Kinki Metropolitan area, on the other hand, the construction of Kansai Science City is underway to form a new foothold for the deployment of cultural, academic and research activity in accordance with the "Act on Advancement of Construction of Cultural and Academic Cities in Kansai Area." Further efforts to promote the science city continue in a partnership among the ministries concerned, local governments, economic circles and so on pursuant to the "Basic Policy for the Construction of Kansai Science City" that reflects the "Third Stage Plan." In addition, the MLIT promotes the implementation of a development plan based on the "Act on Development of Osaka Bay Areas" to make a district that is complete with the facilities of a global city, good living amenities and more.

## ② Reviews of the relocation of the Diet and other central government offices

The MLIT aids the Diet in its reviews of the planned relocation of the Diet and other central government offices, by conducting surveys, disseminating information to the nation and so on.

## 5 Promoting Regional Partnership and Interaction

## (1) Forming a trunk-line network to support regions

To realize the safe, comfortable relocation in the central part of an area having urban functions, such as medicine and education, the MLIT supports the elimination of bottlenecks, as by widening the existing roads, and development of road networks. Further, the development of roads that connect the central area of a municipality to each of its centers, such as public facilities, bridges and so on is being promoted by implementing municipal merger support road development projects in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

## (2) Promoting human interaction between cities and farming, mountain and fishing villages

The MLIT implements projects for promoting the revitalization of villages to support the renovation of the existing public facilities, such as closed school buildings, located in handicapped areas (depopulated areas, mountain villages, remote islands, peninsulas and heavy-snowfall areas) to turn them into human interaction facilities, forms axes of human wide-area interaction and partnership through the development of trunk road networks, supplies housing and housing lands to help realize a country life, develops ports and harbors to serve as centers of human interaction and more. It also promotes the creation of new breeds of tourism, such as green tourism, and the activities of “All Right! Nippon Conference” and so on in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and other ministries concerned to promote human interaction between cities and farming, mountain and fishing villages.

## (3) Promoting regional settlement, etc

Information on the municipalities that implement projects regarding U-, J- and I-turns and settlement in localities, such as mutual interactions between city dwellers and local residents through participation in community development activities and exposure to agricultural or forestry experiences is being disseminated from a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Website. $ ^{Note 1} $ In addition, Information is also available from a Website regarding the issues of dual-area residence, etc. to promote the attraction and movement of people into localities from viewpoints of various kinds of population, such as dual-area resident, exchange and informational exchange populations. $ ^{Note 2} $

The MLIT also supports the appropriation of General Social Infrastructures Development Subsidies for the utilization of vacant houses and buildings and disseminates information about the measures taken by local governments in connection with house replacement and dual-area residence, information about nationwide banks of vacant houses and to address the issues of a wide range of regional issues.

## 6 Securing Means of Regional Transport

## (1) Securing, maintaining and improving means of regional transport

For those regions in which the continued availability of regional transport is endangered, the MLIT supports a framework of implementing regional public transport maintenance and improvement projects based on the regional transport plans that have been deliberated by various regional stakeholders to secure an optimal means of transport suited