## (2) Developing transport nodes

Transport nodes, such as railway stations and bus terminals, hold a high degree of convenience and potential as the core of urban reconstruction, because they attract numerous people to use the various kinds of transport facilities that converge upon them.

The MLIT leverages the implementation of transport node improvement projects, urban and regional transport strategy promotion projects, integrated railway station improvement projects, and other projects at the transport nodes, such as the

Shinjuku St. South Exit District, and in the surrounding areas to improve the ease with which passengers transition from one means of transportation to another, to consolidate the urban areas disrupted by railways, to improve station functions, and to streamline urban traffic and augment the functions of these transport nodes.

Further, the MLIT subsidizes the implementation of the Station-Town Partnership Project that is in progress in the Sannomiya Station Front South District (Kobe City), a project based on a comprehensive plan formulated by a conference composed of local governments, railway operators, etc., in order to keep the activity moving efficiently. This project, coupled with a station facility usage promotion project for Hansin Sannomiya Station, aims to renovate the station area in an integrated fashion.

The MLIT also encourages upgrading the station facilities for the general goal of safe and comfortable regional living by building child-support and medical facilities at the premises of existing railway stations. This idea comes from the viewpoint of regional concentration, which brings medicine, work, and living into closer vicinities.

## (3) Wide-area development of infrastructures to induce firm location

Competition, collaboration and regional buoyancy in East Asia should benefit greatly by inviting and accumulating internationally competitive growing industries in the individual regions. Motivated by this recognition, measures have been promoted to support expanding regional employment and more buoyant economy by concentrating investment on the development of those infrastructures that are truly needed to carry out unique regional approaches, such as developing airports, ports and harbors, railroads and wide-area expressway networks.

### a. Airport development

Aviation network connecting distant cities at home and abroad are greatly instrumental in revitalizing regional communities, boosting the tourism industry and corporate economic activities. It is expected that the aviation sector plays a key role to boost Japanese economy taking advantage of global economic growth, in particular booming economy in Asia. In an effort to enhance Japan’s international competitiveness and regional competitiveness in the hinterlands of the airports, MLIT has been making efforts to enhance airport capacities and relocate or change the internal layout of airport terminal area in order to improve user-friendliness.

### b. Port and harbor development

Amid globally tight supply-demand balances for resources, energies and so on, assuring Japan of stable, low-cost imports of these substances to build up industrial competitiveness of the nation's industries and to maintain and even create employment and revenues should be one of the tasks of foremost importance as the nation depends on imports for virtually 100% of its requirements. The MLIT seeks to build stable and efficient networks of marine transportation for resources, energies and so on by developing large ship-ready port and harbor facilities as key locations, promoting inter-business partnership and so on.