encourages innovations by dynamically inducing convection across Japan under the National Spatial Strategies and Regional Plans, measures are being taken according to the characteristics of regions while working to form multi-layered national land and regional structures. The MLIT also works on strategies for regional revitalization through public-private partnerships and government support in developing foundations that underpin private sector activity and measures to drive forward autonomous and sustainable regional development with cooperation among various entities.

## (i) Promotion of infrastructure development for wide-area regions and revitalization

To implement structural and non-structural mixes of efforts designed to form self-reliant wide-area blocks and to revitalize the regions through buoyant human or material traffic, the MLIT has granted subsidies to 145 plans on the basis of wide-area regional revitalization infrastructures development plans prepared by prefectures. Of these plans, 70 have been worked out by multiple prefectures working in accord and cooperation in a bid to revitalize even wide areas.

## (ii) Promoting the development of infrastructures for regional revitalization with partnership between the public and private sectors

In order to support smooth and speedy transition from the planning stage to the implementation stage, at the time of private sector decision-making without missing opportunities for infrastructure development projects that have been worked out in a partnership between the public and private sectors to contribute to wide-area regional strategies, a system was created in FY 2011. In FY 2015, 18 surveys were supported, including reviews of specific project methods such as the possibility of introducing PFI.

## (iii) Promoting regional planning with diverse entities interworking

In its bid to further self-supporting, sustainable community development through the interworking of local diverse entities, the MLIT supports efforts to: (a) gain absolute assessments of the social values of community development activities, and (b) build a support system with various entities interworking with one another to craft project-type community development activities (regional businesses).

## (iv) Formation of vibrant economic and living zones through allied core metropolitan areas

In metropolitan areas that have a certain size of population and economy, the formation of allied core metropolitan areas that aim to lead economic growth, consolidate and strengthen high-level city functions and enhance services related to people’s daily lives is promoted.

Originally metropolitan areas in scope (61 areas) were mainly regional ordinance-designated cities and core cities (population of 200,000 or more), in FY 2015, the Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economies: Comprehensive Strategy (revised in 2015, adopted by a Cabinet decision on December 24, 2015) added metropolitan areas centering on adjacent two neighboring cities with population of more than 100,000 each to the scope under certain conditions.

### (2) Promotion, etc. of regional center formation

## (i) Developing centers of self-reliant growth of diverse wide-area blocks

In accordance with the Multi-Polar Patterns National Land Formation Promotion Act, the development of core cities is pushed forward 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 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. Furthermore, 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. 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 Kansai Science City Construction Promotion Act. Further efforts to promote the science city continue in a partnership among the ministries concerned, local governments, economic