Analyzing Second Phase of “Regional Empowerment for Japan’s Growth”

◆The first phase of the government program for "Regional Empowerment for Japan’s Growth" (Government Strategy for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy) the focus of the regional revitalization policy launched in FY2015, will soon come to an end. In the first phase, measures related to economic revitalization are generally in progress as planned, whereas measures related to people, such as corrective measures to deal with the concentration of population in Tokyo, have not yet shown results.

◆On December 20, 2019, the 2nd Phase of the Comprehensive Strategy for "Regional Empowerment for Japan’s Growth" was approved by the Cabinet. In Phase 2, new cross-sectoral goals were added in addition to the previous four basic goals. Cross-sectoral targets were set at two points: "Promoting the active use of diverse human resources" and "Making the trends of a new era into an effective force". In addition, although some modifications were made to the four basic objectives, the content was generally maintained. The change from the first period is that key concepts such as "increase earning power of local communities" and "make connection with local communities" were added to the four basic goals and measures.

◆In response to the revision of the comprehensive strategy, each local government is expected to formulate its own Local version of the second phase comprehensive strategy by the end of March. The second phase of the comprehensive strategy requires more regional autonomy than ever before, and the local version of the comprehensive strategy is expected to provide more concrete measures. Local governments will aim for long-term and sustainable development by analyzing the characteristics of each region and transforming them into strengths.