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Review of the 6Th Term Hokkaido Development Plan and Principles of a New Plan

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Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007 REVIEW OF THE 6TH TERM HOKKAIDO DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND PRINCIPLES OF A NEW PLAN Yasushi TAKAMATSU Kiyoshi TAKAHASHI Counselor , Hokkaido Bureau Associate Professor Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kitami Institute of Technology 2-1-2, Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 165, Koencho, Kitami, Hokkaido 100-8918 Japan 090-8507 Japan Fax: +81-3-5253-8766 Fax: +81-157-26-9373 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Approved by the Japan’s Cabinet in April 1998, the 6th term Hokkaido Comprehensive Development Plan is now facing its target year, FY2007. The Hokkaido Development Committee of the National Land Council reviewed the 6th term plan and discussed principles of a new plan, and compiled in February 2007 the final report: “Review of the 6th Term Plan and Principles of a New Plan.” This article presents the essence of the final report, focusing on desired transportation policies for the future Hokkaido, which would be also helpful for Asian countries. Key Words: comprehensive development plan, development policy, improvement of traffic network and mobility 1. HISTORY AND PRESENT STATE OF HOKKAIDO DEVELOPMENT POLICY Hokkaido is the northernmost and the second-largest island in Japan, which accounts for 22% of the national land (Figure 1 and Table 1). Although the population of the island was only several tens of thousands in the Meiji era (late 19th century), Hokkaido now has over five million people. One-third of the population lives in the regional capital, Sapporo, which is larger than any other Japanese city in the north of Tokyo. In the late 19th century just after the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s national government HOKKAIDO Figure 1 Location of Hokkaido Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007 Table 1 Area and population of Hokkaido Hokkaido Percentage Hokkaido National total of the national total Area 83,456 km2 377,923 km2 22.1％ Population 5.63 million 127.77 million 4.4％ Population (1/5 of the national 72 persons/ km2 343 persons/ km2 density average) established the Hokkaido Development Commission (or “Kaitaku-shi”). Until the end of World War II, Hokkaido had been ruled directly by the national government, which has carried out the development of the region consistently and systematically, in order to let the region contribute to the sustainability and the development of the whole country. The government has introduced a variety of technologies from the Western countries, reclaimed a vast wilderness of the island, and systematically built cities and villages, in accordance with the national goals of the development such as promoting agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mining, and manufacturing. After World War II when the revised Local Autonomy Law became effective, the political system in Hokkaido became equal with other prefectures and the prefectural (regional) government was established. The region’s potential including rich natural resources, however, had to be fully utilized to solve the country’s urgent problems such as its economic revival and an increase in food supply. This necessitated the development of Hokkaido as a national policy. Therefore, the Hokkaido Development Law, enacted in 1950, requires that the Hokkaido Development policy contribute to addressing challenges for the country, and the law provides a different policy scheme for Hokkaido than that for the other regions of the country. One of the uniqueness of the Hokkaido Development policy lies in the trinity of the policy scheme: it consists of (1) the Hokkaido Comprehensive Development Plan (HCDP) formulated by the national government; (2) a national administrative agency that implements and promotes the HCDP; and (3) financial support system including exceptional fiscal measures and a policy-based financial institution. Such a comprehensive policy scheme has never been introduced for any other region in Japan, with the exception of Okinawa, which indicates the national importance of the development of Hokkaido. So far six plans have been formulated under the Hokkaido Development Law, each of which contributed to addressing national challenges at different times through utilizing the region’s vast land and rich resources; the challenges were, for example, Japan’s economic revival and an increase in food production, the relocation of people and industries, and the formation of a multipolar structure of the national land (Table 2). The population in Hokkaido has increased by approximately 1.3 million over the past 50 years. The regional economy has grown nearly sevenfold in terms of the Gross Regional Product (GRP), and now is as large as a Scandinavian nation’s (Figures 2 and 3). Along with the drastic changes in the nation’s energy-consumption and industrial structures, Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007 Table 2 Outline of Hokkaido Comprehensive Development Plans Plan 1st-term Plan 2nd-term Plan 3rd-term Plan (Period) (1952-1962) (1963-1970) (1971-1977) Objective • Exploiting natural resources Advancing industrial structures Constructing a highly-productive and of the plan • Revitalizing industries advanced welfare society Major First Five-year HCDP (1952-56) • Modernizing agricultural, forestry, • Developing and revitalizing emphasis • Developing power sources and fishing industries modern industries • Improving roads, harbors, and • Promoting the development of • Strengthening the bases of social rivers mining and manufacturing life • Increasing food production industries • Establishing new systems of • Conducting basic research • Establishing comprehensive transportation, telecommunication, Second Five-year HCDP (1957-62) systems of transportation and and energy transport • Strengthening industrial telecommunication • Conserving land and developing infrastructure such as roads and • Conserving land and promoting water resources harbors irrigation • Promoting environment protection • Developing power sources • Promoting social development and conservation, and developing • Improving facilities for land • Developing industrial tourist industries conservation technologies, improving technical • Improving agricultural production education/training, and promoting bases smooth movements of the • Increasing productivity in workforce agriculture, forestry, and fisheries • Developing mining and manufacturing industries • Improving cultural, welfare, and industrial facilities Plan 4th-term Plan 5th-term Plan 6th-term Plan (Period) (1978-1987) (1988-1997) (1998-2007) Objective Changing a stable total environment Contributing to the long-term • Self-reliant Hokkaido with its door of the plan development of Japan and enabling open to Japan and other countries Hokkaido to compete successfully • Being proud of rich environments with regions elsewhere in Japan and and resources, passing them down the world to the next generation • Safe and comfortable Hokkaido where people can enjoy diversified lifestyles and culture Major • Improving development bases of • Developing flexible and vital • Establishing food supply bases emphasis basic industries industries from a global standpoint and to • Improving functions of Sapporo • Developing advanced networks of foster the expected growth for promoting decentralization transportation and communication industries • Improving urban as well as • Developing safe and comfortable • Establishing the Northern agricultural, mountain, and fishing communities International Shpere village environments • Preserving beautiful and • Improving basic transportation and magnificent environments telecommunication systems • Meeting the demand for self- • Improving water resource actualization, such as travel, development measures recreation, and exchange activities • Securing measures of preventing • Realizing safe and comfortable disasters including conservation of living environments national land • Enhancing the social and cultural environment appropriate to a northern region Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007 trillion yen(Japan) thousand persons(Hokkaido) thousand persons(Japan) trillion yen(Hokkaido) 6,000 140,000 30 600 130,000 25 500 5,628 5,500 120,000 20.4 20 400 110,000 5,000 15 300 100,000 10 200 90,000 4,500 5 100 4,296 80,000 2.8 4,000 70,000 0 0 F 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 1950 1953 1956 1959 1962 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 Y Japan Hokkaido Japan Hokkaido Figure 2 Trends in population Figure 3 Trends in Gross Regional Product however, some cities and villages in Hokkaido have lost their roles and values in the national economy. Their efforts to find a new economic role have often been followed by heavy financial burdens, which pose serious questions about the sustainability of these cities. Besides, the manufacturing industry – Japan’s leading industry that creates high added value and many job opportunities – has yet to accumulate in the region sufficiently, which provides further difficulties in the regional economy. Meanwhile, the measures based on the former HCDPs, especially those in the field of infrastructure development, have begun to yield some promising results: exports of agricultural and fishery products from Hokkaido tend to increase, and the number of foreign tourists has increased 2.5 times to 510,000 over the past five years (Figure 4). (persons)
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