## Deploying Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Administration Tailored to Urges of the Times

## Section 1 Driving the Implementation of a National Land Policy Package

The implementation of a comprehensive national land policy package has been driven on the basis of a full package of measures designed to guide the work of national spatial land planning; namely, National Spatial Strategies (national plan) (2008 Cabinet decision), which envisions “the construction of a national land where diverse regional blocks develop autonomously and the creation of a beautiful national land where life is comfortable” as a new vision of national land, Global Regional Plans (2008 Minister decision), which summarize the regional strategies of the individual global blocks and the specific approaches they take to implement the strategies and the Fourth National Land Use Plan (national plan) (2008 Cabinet decision), which is committed to a key principle of sustainable land management. The implementation of these plans is being monitored from year to year to get them consolidated among the stakeholders concerned with National Spatial Strategies.

About six years since the formulation of National Spatial Strategies (national plan), Japan is confronted with drastic changes, such as intensifying competition between nations and cities in pace with progressive globalization and imminent possible threats from huge natural disasters, such as right-under-capital earthquakes and the Nankai Trough Megaquake, as well as a rapidly shrinking population in an aging society with falling birthrates, with the population predicted to halve in about 60% of all the regions in 2050 and elderly people accounting for about 40% of the total population. To address these changes, it is necessary to share the sense of crisis and then put together the wisdom of the public people to conceive national land policies from long-term perspectives.

Since October 2013, a new, mid-to-long-term (about 2050) “National Land Grand Design Plan” had been explored to determine the future course of national land and community development through sessions, etc. of expert panels. In March 2014, a general outline of the Plan was publicized.

Views and opinions on this outline will be collected from broad sources, including locals, to discuss it in further detail so the new “National Land Grand Design Plan” will be finalized.

## Section 2 Driving the Implementation of Third Priority Plans for Social Infrastructure Development

Priority Plans for Social Infrastructure Development are formulated to drive the efficient and prioritized implementation of social infrastructure development projects in accordance with the “Act on Priority Plan for Social Infrastructure Development.”

The Third Priority Plan for Social Infrastructure Development (FY2014 to FY2016), approved at an August 2012 Cabinet meeting, envisioned what the ideal form of medium-to-long-term social infrastructure development should be to address a variety of issues, such as tight fiscal situations and proceeded to set forth four priority goals based on the standard of selection and concentration (namely, “mitigation of large-scale or broad-based disaster risks” “reinforcement of nation’s industrial and economic foundations and international competitiveness,” “realization of a sustainable and vital national land and regional development” and “precise maintenance, management and renewal of social infrastructures”) in its continual bid to develop social infrastructures in true need.

The effectiveness of plans is ensured by conducting follow-ups. The planning group of the transport policy committee under the Social Infrastructure Improvement Council and Transport Policy Council worked to determine the status of achievement of the goals declared in the Priority Plans, the status of implementation of projects and measures and so on.