Silviase/jgov_v1.4_full_ann huggingface dataset:
Reasons for site selection

Note: 1,286 businesses planning to invest in site selection in Japan were surveyed. (Multiple answers allowed.)

Source: “Survey to Measure Feelings About Site Selection,” Teikoku Data Bank Ltd., 2005

Number of site selections and the distance from expressway entrances and exits

Note: Number of factories newly located during the period from January through December, 2006

Source: "Factory Location Trend Survey," Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 2006

## (Time spent for working and for oneself and one’s family)

According to the survey on attitudes, many people complained about the lack of time spent for themselves or for their families due to long work hours. The total amount of work hours per year is as long as 2,000 hours, significantly longer than those in other developed nations. One-third of those who complained about the lack of time also complained that it took them a lot of time to commute. For example, about 40% of those living in the suburbs of Tokyo spend one hour or more to commute from home to work.

The more time a person spends working and commuting, the less time he/she spends with family. It is necessary to realize lifestyles that strike a balance between work and private life, for example, by promoting telework.

## What supports people’s enjoying leisure time? (Please refer to Chapter 2, (3)(a), (4), and (5)(a) and (b))

## (What people want from leisure time)

The highest percentage of people surveyed wish to focus most on leisure in their future lifestyles, yet the number of such people is declining. The type of leisure activities they experience most frequently is “sightseeing tours in Japan,” which 50% of the surveyed have experienced. Among potential demand, demand for traveling both in Japan and overseas ranked high.

Participation rate in leisure activities (Tourism and outdoor amusement)

Note: The participation rate refers to the ratio of people who took part in any leisure activity above at least once a year.

Source: “White Paper on Leisure Activities, 2008,” Society Productivity Center Headquarters

Potential demand for leisure activities

Note: The potential demand refers to the percentage of people who wish to take part in each activity minus the participation rate.

Source: “White Paper on Leisure Activities, 2008,” Society Productivity Center Headquarters
## (Lack of money and time)

Up until 2007, people were willing to increase spending on concerts, self-enlightenment and sport activities, among everyday leisure activities. Yet, in 2008 their attitudes suddenly changed and they started to decrease spending on such activities, and this attitude remains. There has been a tendency for people to decrease spending on restaurants, meals out and amusement parks for some time, but this tendency has become stronger recently.

As people have become worse off, they tend to spend less time on leisure activities; people now have less money and less leisure time.

Change in inclination to spend money on everyday leisure activities

Note: Values obtained by subtracting “the percentage of households planning to reduce spending on each activity” from “the percentage of households planning to increase spending on each activity”

Source: “Survey of Consumer Behavior,” Cabinet Office

## (Places and opportunities to enjoy leisure)

The overwhelming majority of facilities for leisure activities are in Tokyo, yet regarding the number of facilities per 10,000 persons, there is actually not a big difference between Tokyo and other regions. The survey on attitudes revealed that some respondents in rural areas complained about the lack of leisure facilities in their neighborhood. This is probably because in densely-populated urban areas there are more different leisure facilities with a variety of functions and services, which contributes to leisure facilities in urban areas being more attractive. One can see that there are some disparities in leisure opportunities between regions, and it is necessary to make immediate neighborhood areas more attractive, promote the improvement of information and communication infrastructures in rural areas, and improve transport facilities.

Number of leisure facilities per 10,000 people

Note: The left axis (bar graph) represents the number of leisure facilities, and the right axis (line graph) represents the number of leisure facilities per 10,000 people.

Source: “Basic Survey on Service Industries,” Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 2004
## (Participation in regional activities)

Various regional activities in which residents take part are believed to increase their importance in the future as a tool to support a local society. However, at present, only 30% of the survey respondents voiced their willingness to participate in regional activities. This shows that people cannot take part in regional activities, as they are busy with their own private lives, do not have enough time, or do not have enough money.

Yet the elderly are slightly more willing to take part in regional activities. More than 40% of the elderly surveyed voiced their willingness. Regional activities serve as opportunities to deepen exchanges and will be likely to serve as a new public factor. It would probably be effective to make better use of elderly people’s willingness for enhancing town development and welfare.

## Reasons for not taking part in regional activities

## (3) Traveling from one place to another

## Users’ needs in traveling from one place to another

## ~ Urban areas and rural areas ~

In urban areas, the lower the population density is, the less frequently people use public transport and the more frequently they use privately-owned cars. The rate of motor vehicle increase is also higher.

Source: “Nationwide Traffic Characteristics Survey,” Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, 2005
The larger the size of a population is, the more frequently people use public transport, and among cities with similar size populations, people living at the center of urban areas are more likely to use public transport.

## (Trends in people’s attitudes)

The survey on attitudes revealed that people living in rural areas were less satisfied with public transport in terms of convenience and road development.

Percentage of transport devices used, by city size (on weekdays)

Source: “Nationwide Traffic Characteristics Survey,” Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, 2005

Degree of satisfaction with public transport in terms of convenience and with road development Q: Are you satisfied with your surrounding lifestyle and living environments, concerning the followings?

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

## ~ Characterization and trends of transportation of the elderly ~

At present, the elderly are going out more frequently than before, and in particular, those in the three major metropolitan areas are more likely to go out frequently than those in regional cities and towns.

The rate of increase in the frequency of using privately-owned cars for going out is higher among the elderly than in other generations. In particular, the elderly in regional cities and towns are more likely to go out by car than those in the three metropolitan areas.

The vast majority of elderly people who have given up driving cars use public transport in the three metropolitan areas, while those in regional cities and towns are more likely to have their family members drive for them.

Transportation devices used by people who have given up driving cars

Source: “Nationwide Traffic Characteristics Survey,” Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, 2005
Current situations and problems related to local transport

~ Present situation and problems related to ensuring community-based transport facilities in rural areas ~ (Refer to Chapter 2, (2)(b))

(Current situations and problems related to public transport)

In rural areas, public transport services have become less convenient partly because less profitable public transport services have been curtailed or abolished in rural areas. $ ^{*} $

The number of passengers carried by public transport facilities is significantly declining, and this, in turn, negatively affects the profitability of public traffic routes. The end result is less-convenient publicly-run routes.

According to the survey on attitudes, people placed importance on improvement and development of public transport, the distance from their home to a station and its location, safety, the number of services, and routes. On the other hand, they mainly complained about the number of services, improvement of public transport, and fares.

Note1: 72 commercial railway operators were surveyed, and they all had few changes in their train lines in the period from 1987 to 2006. (Commercial train lines are often changed due to newly developed routes or decommissioned routes.)

Note2: Buses surveyed were passenger buses using fixed routes in prefectures except the three metropolitan areas.

Note3: Passenger transport by regular and non-regular services nationwide were subject to the survey.

Sources: Railways and passenger ships:

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Buses: “Vehicle Transport Statistic Survey,” Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Population : “Demographic Estimate,” Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

Importance and degree of satisfaction with public transport in regional areas

Q: How far are you satisfied with public transport, including railways, buses and passenger ships, in terms of the following? And how important are they for you?

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

* For example, since 2000, when relevant regulations were eased so that abandoning unprofitable public transport routes shall require only notification to authorities in advance instead of regulatory approval, as much as 633 km of rail routes was decommissioned as of December 2008, mainly following the abolishment of local lines.
## Degree of satisfaction with convenience of public transport (railway, bus, and others) by region

In particular, in underpopulated areas, the degree of satisfaction with convenience of public transport is very low.

This suggests that in underpopulated areas, improvement of public transport, which serves as an everyday means of transport, is highly required. In response to such needs, the national government has to continuously support the enhancement of public transport, which is essential to ordinary lives in underpopulated areas.

According to the survey on attitudes, the improvement and increase of railway and bus services and routes, the concentration of facilities in city centers and improved accessibility, and the realization of adaptable traffic services such as welfare taxis ranked high in terms of enhancing the convenience of daily transport.

Q: Are you satisfied with public transport in your neighborhood, including railways, and buses?

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

## How to make everyday traveling more convenient in regional areas?

## Q: Which methods are effective to make everyday traveling and everyday errands more convenient? (Check all that apply)

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
## (Current situations and problems related to road traffic)

The survey on attitudes revealed that many people did not feel safe when driving cars or riding motorbikes on rural roads because of climate conditions, such as rain or snow, and due to limited road width and many sharp bends. Other issues are that, in some areas, emergency vehicles (including ambulances) are unable to reach their destinations smoothly and quickly, and that there are obstacles to the safe operation of fixed route buses.

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

## (How to ensure everyday transportation)

In order to secure everyday transport devices, first of all, it is necessary to understand the needs of local residents and the reality of existing public transport. In addition, residents, people in charge of projects, and parties concerned with administration need to thoroughly discuss how to continuously maintain transport devices for local residents, taking into account the necessity of community-based public transport and the potential effects on tourism promotion. For this purpose, the national government has to continuously support essential programs and give necessary advice.

How to invigorate public transport
## (Current situations and problems related to road traffic)

As findings from the survey on attitudes suggest, the influence of traffic jams on driving is a problem.

Although lost time resulting from traffic jams has been on the decline in recent years, traffic jams are still serious in the three metropolitan areas. In addition, among all the railway crossings around the country, nearly 600 are called “railway crossings that are practically always closed.” In 23 wards in Tokyo, the number of railway crossings is approximately 50 times as many as there are in Paris. Indeed there are much more railway crossings in Tokyo than in any other major city in the world. Traffic jams also block the smooth circulation of buses. Accordingly, it is necessary to take measures to ease traffic jams.

Traffic jam problems nationwide

Note: Blue lines represent time lost due to traffic jams in each region.

## Traffic jams

Serious traffic jams, in particular during peak hours in the morning and the evening

Chronic traffic jams due to traffic passing through city centers

(Top right) Intersection on Route 6 in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture

(Right) Kamitakaido Intersection on Orbital Motorway 8, in Suginami, Tokyo

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

## ~ Reality and problems related to efforts for ensuring safety and security ~ (Refer to Chapter 2, (1)(b))

The number of casualties in traffic accidents associated with public transport is shown below. Casualties in railroad accidents and in road accidents have been declining in the long term.

Casualties in traffic accidents associated with public transport

FY 1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Railway	1,274	1,029	1,874	1,323	1,101	858	832	804	947	714	751	686	824	726	694	722	1,397	790	726
Motor vehicle	3,451	3,221	2,831	2,967	2,882	2,741	2,779	2,279	2,437	2,232	1,976	2,497	2,062	2,220	2,532	2,150	2,397	2,400	2,201
Aircraft	0	1	0	3	12	0	1	4	6	3	1	9	1	6	1	2	1	1	3
Marine accidents	59	59	23	82	95	65	207	63	63	69	45	31	38	31	25	35	74	161	53

Note1: Railway : Casualties due to operation of trains

On the other hand, with increasing public concerns over potential risks, according to the survey on attitudes, the level of importance of public transport safety was as high as 80.1%. However, the degree of safety enhancement compared to around five years ago remains low. When an accident occurs in public transport, which supports people's daily life and the country's economy, it will cause considerable damage and casualties, and will profoundly affect our society. Accordingly, we must take further measures to prevent accidents, and in case of an accident, we must promptly ascertain the cause of the accident and prevent similar incidents.
Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Casualties in road traffic accidents have been on a long-term decline. The number of fatal traffic accidents on residential roads and those resulting in injuries is almost twice as many as those on arterial roads. When classifying accidents by the age groups of those killed in road accidents, we found that the elderly frequently fall victim to accidents while walking. According to the survey on attitudes, too, the level of importance of pedestrian space was high enough, yet the degree of satisfaction with pedestrian space was low.

For this reason, it is important to secure the safety of pedestrians, especially elderly pedestrians, by removing the flow of through traffic of vehicles from residential roads and by improving sidewalks.

Sites of accidents causing fatalities or injuries (2007)

Note: Ratio accidents causing fatalities or injuries = number of such accidents per vehicle kilometer traveled The values of vehicle kilometers traveled are based on quick estimation values for 2007.

Source: “Traffic Accident Statistics,” National Police Agency

## Problems in creating more barrier-free spaces ~ (Refer to Chapter 2, (2)(c))

In efforts to reduce barriers in public transport facilities, following the enforcement of the Act on Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc. in November 2000, increasing barrier-free spaces has been actively promoted.

However, according to the degree of the penetration of low-floor buses, it is evident that in rural areas, the progress in creating more barrier-free transport facilities has been much slower.
Barrier-free features in transport facilities

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Introduction of low-floor buses

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

According to the survey on attitudes, people were very concerned with ensuring safety and security at railway station platforms and guardrails on sidewalks, ensuring enough space for passage, entrance and exit, and eliminating differences in the level of floors. Concerning these issues, the level of frustration was high.

## Degrees of importance and of satisfaction with incorporation of barrier-free features outside your home

Q: How important is the incorporation of barrier-free features outside of your home, including public transport facilities, pedestrian spaces and when shopping? Are you satisfied with such features?

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

The degree of improvement in barrier-free features compared to about five years ago remains at less than 50%. This also points out the necessity of further efforts for barrier-free transport facilities.

## Enhancement in barrier-free features

Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
## Problems related to long distance traffic

## (Current situations and problems related to intercity transport) (Refer to Chapter 2, (5)(a))

Improvement of intercity transport networks reduces travel time and increases destinations within a one-day round trip and time spent at one-day round trip destinations.

The survey on attitudes revealed that the degree of improvement in convenience in intercity transport, compared to around five years ago was 48.6%. Given the importance of intercity transport networks, partly as transport devices necessary for promoting tourism, it is necessary to further improve convenience.

### (Current situations and problems related to international traffic) (Refer to Chapter 2, (5) (a).)

The number of international traffic passengers, in general, has been on the rise since 1989, to 1.8 times as many as the level of 20 years ago. This increase is in spite of the negative effects from terrorism, wars, economic downturns and other political and economic conditions.

In recent years, the number of international airlines using regional airports has been on the rise due to a recovery and increase in demand for airliners since around 2004, and due to efforts to realize aviation

liberalization based on the Asia Gateway Initiative. The increasing arrivals and departures of international airliners at regional airports offers international tourists more direct access to regional areas and therefore is a major factor promoting the development of Japan as a

tourism-oriented country and increasing convenience for residents.

According to the survey on attitudes, compared with findings from around five years ago, the degree of improvement in the convenience of international traffic is 35.5%. It will be necessary to further improve the convenience of international traffic as a means of transportation for promoting tourism, appropriately addressing users' needs and responding to further globalization in the future.
## Chapter 2: Future directions of MLIT Policies for our daily life

In order to address various needs listed in Chapter 1, MLIT has to take necessary measures by coordinating various tools that employ equipment and facilities as well as know-how and expertise. Chapter 2 presents directions and major measures to address these needs. (MLIT is taking measures in addition to those presented in this chapter. For the overview of the measures MLIT has been taking, please refer to Part II.)

## (Ensuring the basis of our daily life)

First of all, it is necessary to secure the basis which supports our daily life.

Our daily life is being threatened by natural disasters, crime and accidents on roads or in public transport, and accordingly, we are required to ensure safety and security, which constitute the very basis of our daily life.

Securing fundamental functions that support our daily activities is the minimum necessity. It is essential to secure housing and minimum quality. In addition, it is necessary to maintain and sustain daily transport devices supporting everyday activities, particularly in rural areas. In addition, we need to incorporate various viewpoints, including those of the elderly.

While recent social conditions are difficult, with social structural changes like the aging society and fewer children, this section presents how the ministry is working toward (1) ensuring safety and peace of mind in daily life and (2) improving and expanding safety-net functions in daily life, in order to ensure the basis of our daily life and to eliminate people’s anxiety.

## (Further enhancing the quality of daily life)

After having ensured safety and peace of mind as well as the safety-net functions in daily life, it is necessary to further improve daily life. People need convenience and affluence as well as enjoyment in various activities in their daily life. It is necessary to revitalize urban areas, which are where people carry out daily activities, and make them more attractive. In addition, we need to make traveling from one place to another more convenient and comfortable, as well as easing congestion and other problems, so as to meet people's demands.

Furthermore, as views on life are becoming more diverse, how to strike a balance between work and private life has attracted much attention. It is also necessary to create an environment where people can choose various lifestyles in terms of housing and jobs.

Sections (3) “enhancing daily comfort” and (4) “formation of infrastructures that support a variety of life styles” present what we have to do to enhance the quality of life and further enhance affluence in daily life in the above areas.

## (Discussing surrounding connections)

Our daily life is also being supported, by what is invisible and intangible, in extensive connections.

It is necessary to reinforce functions of networks that support the flow of people and products. In addition, tourism is expected to bring about new opportunities to regions. Section (5) “supporting responses to extensive and global-level developments” refers to how to create and reinforce the maintenance of connections that support daily life.