## Economic Trend and Infrastructure Development

## 1 History of economic growth and infrastructure development

This Section looks at the history of how infrastructure development supported economic activity and peoples’ lives since the early modern period, focusing on infrastructure development in the Edo period and after World War II.

In an international comparison of the level of public investment, we explain the need to take into account Japan’s poor land and the severe natural environment, provide overview of the infrastructure stock, and examine its impact on infrastructure productivity and economic growth.

## (1) Infrastructure development that supported the life and economy in the Edo period

In the Edo period, large-scale town and social infrastructure development centered around Edo Castle were carried out which dramatically changed the towns of Edo.

The coastline that extended near the current Imperial Palace was reclaimed, moats were formed, Nihonbashi Bridge was built, and Gokaido Roads, or the five key roads, and other major transportation networks starting from Nihonbashi, were developed in the Edo period. These infrastructures were handed down to the current Heisei period.

Thus, we focus on Edo, the origin of Tokyo, and explore the infrastructure development and economic activity, peoples' lives, maintenance awareness, disaster prevention awareness, and the like in the period.

## (Public works in the Edo period)

## Who did public works and how?

In the Edo period, master-servant relationships between the Edo Shogunate and each domain were established and civil engineering projects, such as construction of Edo Castle, creation of ports, river improvement, and road development, were assigned to domain daimyo (feudal lords) as “tenka bushin” (a type of public works projects which the Edo Shogunate ordered), forcing each daimyo to bear economic burden. Also, partly due to large-scale infrastructure development centered around Edo Castle which required labor, Edo’s towns became a major metropolitan area with a highly concentrated population.

## (Reclamation of Hibiya inlet and Development of Edo- Port)

While the Edo Shogunate was founded in 1603 by Ieyasu Tokugawa, who had become shogun, Ieyasu also implemented various infrastructure developments before that.

Edo Castle was originally built by Dokan Ota in 1457 (Muromachi period). When Ieyasu entered Edo Castle in 1590, the castle, which was then over 130 years old, was dilapidated and surrounded by rundown castle towns. Therefore, Ieyasu planned infrastructure development around Edo Castle from an early stage after moving to the castle.

First, Ieyasu focused on the development of water transport networks centered around Edo Castle in order to transport goods in large volume to Edo by ship, and pushed forward the construction of Edo-Port (Figure 1-2-1).

In 1592, Dosan-bori that stretches from current Gofuku-

bashi Bridge to Ote-mon Gate was constructed, which

established a system of ship transportation to just below

Edo Castle, thereby enabling transportation of goods, such as stone materials to build the castle.

Also, the coastline at that time extended to the area where the current Imperial Palace is located and Hibiya area was shallow water named Hibiya Inlet. In order to prevent enemy ships from entering the inlet from a military consideration,