continues, by relocating business facilities and concentrating various other functions in the core cities, helping ease excessive concentration in downtown Tokyo to some extent. The development of Business Core Cities will continue further. In addition, the MLIT has driven the construction of Tsukuba Academic City to pursue urban revitalization by taking advantage of an accumulation of science and technology in accordance with the “Act on Construction of Tsukuba Science City.” Further, environmentally friendly cities are being built along the Tsukuba Express railroad line by leveraging the characteristics of Tsukuba Science City as the pace of urban development accelerates. The Ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of Founding of the Tsukuba Science City was held in Tsukuba City on November 12, 2013. 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 Promotion 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.

### b. Promoting “small community” making within a village area

To sustain and rejuvenate underpopulated villages, etc. that suffer from a progressively diminishing or aging population, the MLIT drives “small community” making in a multi-village area, such as a elementary school district, by relocating the facilities and functions essential to daily livelihood, such as stores and medical clinics, and the places of regional activities within a walking distance, with access to neighboring villages.

### c. 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 Partnerships 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 medical care and education, the MLIT supports the elimination of bottlenecks, as by widening the existing roads, and development of road networks supporting daily life. Further, in order to promote the integration of merged municipalities, 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 planning activities and exposure to agricultural or forestry experiences is being disseminated from a MLITI Website. In addition, information