(1) Maintaining a Collaborating Organization Among the Industrial, Academic and Government Sectors

The construction of this city has been promoted since its initial stage based on the fundamental stance of mutual cooperation among the industrial, academic and government sectors according to their respective responsibility and role. That philosophy is also emphasized in the basic policy based on the Kansai Science City Construction Act (1987).

Community creation is something that must be implemented with ample foresight. A cooperating system among each of the industrial, academic and government sectors will be firmly maintained in the future as well in order to take advantage of the characteristics of this city as it deploys activities based on free thinking by industry and academics in consideration of the accumulation of various cultural and scientific research aspects in the Kansai region.

In particular, since it is assumed that a project of this large a scale and requiring prior construction will encounter numerous problems as it moves toward its realization, it will be necessary to integrate expertise possessed by the industrial, academic and government sectors, and assign roles corresponding to the functions of each of those sectors in order to ensure its steady promotion.

(2) Diversification of Implementing Bodies through Participation of Residents and Researchers

In order to further promote construction of the city and its activities, it will be necessary to overlap efforts by attempting to diversify those groups involved in promotion. In order to accomplish this, in addition to placing expectations on further efforts by conventional organizations such as developers, it will be necessary for residents and private corporations to participate in each process of community creation including construction activities. It will also be necessary to incorporate into city construction and city activities new activity groups that go beyond the conventional organizational framework while referring to case studies of private non-profit organizations that have been attracting attention in the U.S. and Europe in recent years.

In addition, when considering that this city is a long-term project, it is necessary that the enthusiasm of related organizations and persons that have supported city construction and its activities thus far continues to maintain a powerful promotion system in the future as well. In order to accomplish this, it will be necessary to foster the generation that defined the concept of this city and promoted its construction, as well as the next generation of talented personnel that will be responsible for a new stage of development.

(3) Enhancement of Planning and Adjustment Functions in Support of the Efforts of Each Group

Accompanying the growing activation of city construction and city activities, it will be necessary to strengthen planning and adjustment functions that provide comprehensive leadership for the city as a whole as well as adjustment functions and so forth related to topics originating in research exchange activities. It will therefore be necessary to strengthen the efforts of the Foundation of the Kansai Research Institute and Keihanna Interaction Plaza Incorporated who are responsible for the providing of these functions. In addition, it will be important to further strengthen broad-based collaboration among the three prefectures, five cities and three towns involved to ensure total promotion of the planning and construction of this city. Moreover, it will be necessary to examine more efficient planning and adjustment methods for the future.

In addition, it is expected that public project groups involved in city construction and city development, such as the Housing and Urban Development Corporation, will assume a leading role in promoting the construction project of this city by aggressively utilizing a vast range of experience and technology accumulated thus far based on collaboration with local public bodies and organizations.

In attempting to further enhance various functions in the second stage of construction, rather than being premised only on the construction of new facilities and establishment of organizations requiring vast funding and the securing of personnel, efforts should be concentrating on increasing the effects of integration including further enhancing existing facilities, utilization of organizations and their activities. Implementation of strategic accommodations will proceed in a realistic direction in consideration of the management outlook by beginning construction of new facilities only at the time they become necessary.

In addition, it will also be necessary that fundamental conditions in support of various city activities always be secured together with the providing of various facilities and functions. In order to accomplish this, instead of being premised on the satisfaction of all fundamental conditions only at completion of the final stage of construction, it will be important to make accommodations in a flexible manner so as to be able to conduct domestic, cultural and artistic research activities in a comfortable atmosphere even if only part way through construction by proceeding with construction of a transportation network and domestic convenience facilities in a stepwise and planned manner corresponding to the progress of city construction.

Kansai Science City Construction Promotion Office
Metropolitan Areas Development Division
City and Regional Development Bureau
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
at TEL: +81-3-5253-8111 (ext. 32-383) , FAX +81-3-5253-1587