VOL. 117 FEBRUARY 2018 REVITALIZING THE REGIONS 6 12 Essential Points for Regional The Lure of a Kyoto Fishing Village Revitalization Ine, a fishing village in Kyoto Prefecture, is An interview with Professor Hiroya leveraging its unique scenery as a tourism Masuda, a member of the Council on resource to revive the local economy and Overcoming Population Decline and reverse the trend of depopulation. Vitalizing Local Economy 8 Nurturing Leaders to “Create the Future” A new college in Tono, Iwate Prefecture, is on a mission to develop human resources that will catalyze regional development in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. 14 Adventures on Fields of Drifting Features Snow Aomori’s Drifting Snow Tour takes advantage of the unusual local blizzards to attract tourists. 10 Changing Agriculture Yabu City in Hyogo Prefecture is introducing unprecedented agricultural reforms. 4 22 24 PRIME MINISTER’S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MY WAY DIARY Cosmic-Ray Particles Shed Building Bridges through Poetry Also Light on Pyramid’s Secrets COPYRIGHT © 2018 CABINET OFFICE OF JAPAN WHERE TO FIND US The views expressed in this magazine by the interviewees Tokyo Narita Airport terminals 1 & 2 ● JR East Travel Service Center (Tokyo Narita Airport) ● JR Tokyo and contributors do not necessarily represent the views of Station Tourist Information Center ● Tokyo Tourist Information Center (Haneda Airport, Tokyo Metropolitan the Cabinet Office or the Government of Japan. 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Copyright inquiries Information ● Foreign Press Center/Japan ● Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan ● Delegation of the should be made through a form available at: European Union to Japan ● Tokyo University ● Waseda University ● Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University● Ritsumeikan University ● Kokushikan University ● University of Tsukuba ● Keio University ● Meiji University www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/mailform/inquiry.html ● Osaka University ● Kyushu University ● Kyoto University ● Tohoku University ● Nagoya University ● Sophia University ● Doshisha University ● Akita International University ● International University of Japan 2 | highlighting japan ISSUE 117, FEBRUARY 2018 Theme for FEBRUARY: REVITALIZING THE REGIONS 16 n this month’s Feature, Starry Night we take a look at some Achi Village in Nagano Prefecture is pulling of the efforts being made in the crowds promising visitors “the best nationwide, on a public, starry sky in Japan.” I private and individual level, to address the exhaustion of regional economies caused 20 by population decrease and Hot Spring Cures for All Semboku City in Akita Prefecture is reviving revitalize these economies. the age-old tradition of toji hot spring cures. 18 A Network of Mothers Inspires A child care group established by one mother twenty years ago is now spearheading the creation of a society that enables everyone to raise children with ease. 26 28 30 SMEs OVERSEAS WASHOKU NATIONAL PARKS Visualizing the Bus Friendship and Shabu-Shabu A Taste of Primeval Japan Business PRODUCTION The Japan Journal ON THE COVER MANAGING EDITOR Hitoshi Chiba Revitalizing the Regions EDITORS Alex Hendy, Mao Fujita Photo: Ine Tourism Association EDITORIAL SUPPORT Eriko Kiura CONTRIBUTORS Rob Gilhooly, Hiroshi Sakurai, Kentaro Sano, Takashi Sasaki, Kumiko Sato DESIGN Mei Imai, Hirofumi Okadome PHOTOS Rob Gilhooly, Yuichi Itabashi, Hiroshi Sakurai, Kumiko Sato, Satoshi Tanaka VIDEOGRAPHY Satoshi Tanaka FEBRuary 2018 | 3 Prime Minister's Diary JAPAN-AUSTRALIA SUMMIT MEETING AND OTHER EVENTS n January 18, 2018, Shinzo share fundamental values and stra- Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, tegic interests. It was confirmed that Oheld a Japan-Australia Sum- Japan will deepen collaboration and mit Meeting and other events with cooperation with Australia in order the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, Prime to realize the Free and Open Indo- Minister of the Commonwealth of Pacific Strategy. Australia, who is making a working The two leaders discussed bilateral visit to Japan. To begin with, a summit cooperation and regional affairs. meeting (small-group meeting) was Prime Minister Abe expressed his The Japan-Australia Summit Meeting held, and following that, Prime Minis- recognition that advancing security ter Turnbull attended a special meet- and defense cooperation between 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic ing of the National Security Council Japan and Australia will directly con- Games, and will strengthen people- (NSC). In addition, a summit meeting tribute to the peace and stability of to-people exchanges through these (expanded meeting) was held. The the Indo-Pacific region. Addition- events, including at the regional level. outcomes of the summit meeting were ally, Prime Minister Abe expressed The two leaders confirmed that released in a joint press statement. his intention to strengthen both the Japan and Australia’s approaches in At the small-group meeting the quality and quantity of joint exercises the Pacific Island countries region discussion centered on North Korea. involving Japan and Australia, based are aligned, and shared the view that Prime Minister Abe presented his also on his visit of Japan Ground Self- Japan and Australia will cooperate recognition of the situation, which Defense Force (JGSDF) Camp Nara- closely for the success of the Eighth is that North Korea is making prog- shino with Prime Minister Turnbull Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting ress with North-South dialogue but is on the morning of the day the summit (PALM 8) in May this year. continuing with its nuclear and mis- meeting was held, and Prime Minis- The two leaders appreciated the sile development, and so the situa- ter Turnbull showed his concurrence. progress with trilateral and quadrilat- tion is conversely deteriorating. On The two leaders shared the view that eral cooperation among Japan, Aus- that basis, the two leaders shared the they will aim to conclude negotia- tralia and the United States, Japan, view that denuclearization consis- tions that are currently taking place Australia and India, and Japan, Aus- tently remains the goal, and that there between Japan and Australia on an tralia, the United States and India, can be no stability in the Asia-Pacific agreement to facilitate mutual visits along with sharing the view that col- without denuclearization. by the two countries’ defence forces laborations will continue. At the special meeting (Four Min- as promptly as possible. The two leaders confirmed they isters’ Meeting) of the NSC, a broad- The two leaders highly appreciated will collaborate closely on sign- ranging discussion took place that the concrete progress being made ing and bringing the TPP into effect centered on future Japan-Australia with Japan-Australia innovation coop- promptly. In addition, with regard to security cooperation in the Indo- eration, including the brown-coal the RCEP, the two leaders confirmed Pacific region, including policies for hydrogen project and the utilization they will continue to collaborate Japan and Australia to make greater of quasi-zenith satellites, as well as closely in order to realize a high- contributions to the peace and stabil- cooperation between Japan and Aus- quality agreement. ity of the region by further deepen- tralia in the fields of energy, includ- Prime Minister Turnbull raised ing their close security cooperation ing liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the issue of whaling. Prime Minister as “special strategic partners” that agriculture, and they shared the view Abe touched on Japan’s position, and that they will further promote collab- expressed the view that efforts should oration. In addition, the two leaders be made to ensure that the whaling shared the view that Japan and Aus- issue does not have a negative impact tralia will cooperate for the success on the favorable bilateral relation- of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the ship as a whole. Prime Minister Abe requested that excessive obstructive The special meeting of the National Security behavior at sea is prevented, and that Council (meeting among four ministers) effective responses are taken. Photographs and text courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cabinet Public Relations Office of the Government of Japan. 4 | highlighting japan Feature REVITALIZING THE REGIONS Revitalizing the Regions “I believe that Japan must succeed in its initiatives as the leader in the transition to a super- aging society and deliver its experience of the nationwide spread of regional revitalization appropriately to the rest of the world.” So says Hiroya Masuda, a member of the Council on Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy. In this month’s Feature, we take a look at some of these initiatives, from child care support and educating young leaders to agricultural reform and innovative tourism programs. Courtesy of Yabu Partners Co. FEBRuary 2018 | 5 Feature REVITALIZING THE REGIONS Hiroya Masuda Essential Points for Regional Revitalization iroya Masuda, a visiting professor at the To what points does the Council on Overcoming University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy HPublic Policy, is a member of the Council attach particular importance? on Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing The first point