# 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 MLIT has been driving forward comprehensive land policy based on the National Spatial Strategies (National Plan) (cabinet decision in 2008), Regional Plans for eight blocks nationwide (Minister decision in 2009), and the Fourth National Land Use Plan (National Plan) (cabinet decision in 2008), as comprehensive guidelines on building national land. In order to respond to drastic changes in the situations surrounding national land, including rapidly declining population, low birth rates, and a possibly imminent large-scale disaster, the MLIT published the “Grand Design of National Spatial Development Towards 2050” in July 2014 to share the sense of crisis with the public and show the principles of national land and regional development with a medium- to long-term view (generally 2050 in sight). Also taking this into consideration, in August 2015, changes to the National Spatial Strategies (National Plan) and the National Land Use Plan (National Plan) for roughly the next 10 years were adopted by a Cabinet decision.

The new National Spatial Strategies (National Plan) have the basic vision of building convection-promoting national land that creates active movements of people, goods, money, and information between regions (convection) by refining regional individualities that are varied. Also, as national and regional structures for creating convection, the idea of compactness and networks—consolidating various functions that include life services into certain regions in a compact manner and connect regions with networks—was laid out. The building of the convection-promoting national land and compactness and networks for that purpose should contribute to realization of the balanced development of national land that is suitable in the coming age and leveraging the unique individualities of nature, culture, and industries specific to each region. Furthermore, the National Spatial Strategies include the correction of overconcentration of people in Tokyo as Tokyo has congestion problems while net outflows of population, mainly young people, from rural regions to the Tokyo Area continue, also taking into consideration such issues as possibly imminent large-scale disasters that include a Tokyo inland earthquake.

The Fifth National Land Use Plan (National Plan) aims at land use to enhance resilience, sustainability and prosperity in our country.

In order to manage the progress of both National Plans, as well as to examine effective promotion measures, a plan promotion task force was established in February 2016 in the National Land Development Council and started discussions toward the formation of the convection-promoting national land. In March 2016, the Regional Plan of each block was revised based on the National Plans. Also, discussions are ongoing for revising the National Land Use Plan (prefectural plan).

## Section 2

### Measures, etc. against Aging Social Infrastructures

## (1) MLIT's Action Plans for Life Extension of Infrastructure

In Japan, those infrastructures that have been built after the rapid-growth period of the nation’s economy, including Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway Route 1 laid after the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, are forecast to become aged simultaneously in the future with the proportion of facilities that will reach 50 years of age or older in 20 years to expanding at an accelerating pace. The ratio of the number of such highway bridges, for example, is predicted to surge from about 18% in March 2013 to about 43% 10 years later and to about 67% 20 years later (Figure II-2-2-1). Simultaneously aging infrastructures should dictate strategic maintenance/management and renewal.

In October 2013, the Liaison Conference among Ministries and Agencies Concerned with the Promotion of Measures to Combat Aging Infrastructures was inaugurated. In November of the same year, it came up with the Basic Plan for Life Extension of Infrastructure to envision future approaches directed at infrastructures of all kinds to be taken by the state, local public entities and so on. The MLIT responded by working out the MLIT Action Plans for Life Extension of Infrastructure.