Although there are number of government plans to develop agricultural
land, forest,
residential areas, highways, etc., they are not harmonized or coordinated
in terms of local
specificity. Public works, as such, consist of a variety of construction
projects including
protection against soil erosion. Yet, in my view, public works dealing with
protection and
management of mountains, water resources and land slide and coastal erosion
prevention should
be consolidated under a long term national land preservation plan. The scope
of this plan does
not have to be grand but it does have to be consistent and definitely very
long term.
We also should face another problem, that is the prejudice held by the
urban population
which regards investment into rural areas as unfair, investing " so much
for so few" or
"inefficient". On the contrary, they should be happy to see this occur and
even should ask for
more. In the past, the government has invested in depopulated areas with
electricity, running
water and roads, yet the trend towards depopulation has not reversed. In
next ten years, the
population is estimated to be only one half of today in all 140,00
designated communities, so
past government investment will be a total waste. This is a situation we
should avoid by all
means. The government must take on this issue as a national project,
developing an agriculture
and forestry planning law as the basis on which community reorganization
can be built. Japan
already spends more of its national budget on land preservation than any
other nation. It is
ridiculous to complain that there is a lack of financial ability. And if
the plan is prejudiced by
those who are enjoying a vested interest from past and current government
spending, that is
absolutely wrong. Government planning must put the national and public
interest uppermost. I
have already organized a group of concerned Diet Members to pursue a number
of studies in an
attempt to promote local communities. The group is chaired by Mr. Tamisuke
Watanuki and I
have volunteered as secretary. The group met before the submission of
the budget and
continues to meet to promote its agenda.
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