support regional economies.

## ⑷ Road development

About 80% of the newly built plants are located within 10 km from an expressway interchange from viewpoints of simplified logistic flow, ready access to distribution and so on. The formation of a new network of trunk highways, such as arterial high-standard highways and regional high-standard highways, is being promoted to strengthen international competitiveness and to further regional dependence and industrial growth, as by speeding and facilitating logistics.

## (4) Promoting community-conscious projects and programs

## ① Michi-no-eki (Roadside Station)

Located roadside, Michi-no-eki are a facility that combines a mix of roadside amenities, including parking spaces and restrooms, a source of information, including highway and regional information, and a forum of regional partnership, which encourages interaction between a region and users of the roads in that region and between regions. As of March 2013, 1,005 Michi-no-eki are registered. Michi-no-eki (Roadside Stations) which serve as a center to defend against disasters are also in place as a center of restoration activity or evacuation.

## ② Promoting river Town Development

The MLIT supports and promotes the implementation of municipal and other plans to use rivers and the waterside as a core of Town Development and tourism and boost the regional charms from both perspectives of hardware, such as waterside space development integrated with a scheme of Town Development, and software, such as deregulations.

## ③ Managing rivers with resident participation to suit regional characteristics

Those individuals who possess an expert knowledge of river environments and who are zealous for the idea of

affluent river development are appointed “river environment preservation monitors” to help create and preserve river environments and carry out meticulous activities aimed at ensuring and promoting orderly river usage. River environment preservation monitors are also at work, collecting information about river management, such as locating cases of illegal garbage dumping into rivers and detecting flaws in the river facilities, and promoting the philosophy of river preservation.

Furthermore, the Love River Campaign has been promoted, whereby riverbeds are made open as flowerbeds, etc. to groups of volunteers and local residents who offer to clean, mow and otherwise care for the rivers, thereby forming a community-rooted familiar waterside space. As an example of river management with resident participation, the work of cleaning, mowing and taking care of a specific length of a river is carried out jointly by the local residents, local government and river administrator working in concert under an agreement concluded with the residents.

## ④ Supporting efforts to take advantage of the regional features of the seaside

The implementation of seaside environment development projects, which formulate seaside usage revitalization plans and develop seaside preservation facilities according to those plans, are supported by granting General Social Infrastructures Development Subsidies to them to revitalize the usage of the seaside and add to its charms as a tourist resource.