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| What Are
National Land Use Plans? |
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What
Are National Land Use Plans? |
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| Background and Goals of the
Establishment of the National Land Use Planning Act |
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The National Land Use Planning Act
is a law to ensure the comprehensive and systematic use of national
land. |
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Japan's total national land area
(continental) is about 380,000 square km, which hosts a nation of more than
100 million inhabitants. This national land is a limited but shared resource
that forms a common foundation for the life and livelihoods of the Japanese
people. On this limited land area Japan succeeded in achieving advanced,
unprecedented economic growth, especially after 1950s. In contrast, however,
the waves of industrialization and urbanization caused depopulation due
to the outflow of population from mountainous and other remote areas. It
also resulted in a host of problems in big cities and surrounding areas,
including steep rises in the price of land, disorderly conversion of land
for residential use, pollution, and destruction of the natural environment.
Against this backdrop, the National Land Use Planning Act was
formulated with the goals of furthering the coordinated use of land while
giving priority to the public welfare and seeking preservation of the natural
environment from a comprehensive, long-term point of view. As such, the
law takes account of natural, social, economic, cultural, and other conditions
applicable to Japan's entire area.
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| The System of National Land
Use Plans |
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National Land Use Plans are formulated
based on the national plan, prefectural plans, and municipal plans. |
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National Land Use Plans are based
on the National Land Use Planning Act and form the foundation of other land
use-related plans.
National Land Use Plans are plans of three tiers consisting
of national, prefectural, and municipal levels. Measures concerning land
use are devised from all of these levels. As such, there is a need to draw
up and clarify plans at each level.
| (1) |
In the case of the national plan, the
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport draft a plan after
hearing the opinions of prefectural governors and the National Land
Council, and the draft becomes the plan after being decided by the
cabinet. The national plan shall be drafted along with the National
Plan of National Sustainable Physical Plan in an integrated manner. |
| (2) |
In the case of prefectural plans, governor
drafts a plan after hearing the opinions of mayors and the council,
and the draft becomes the plan after being adopted by the relevant
assembly. |
| (3) |
In the case of municipal plans,
mayor drafts a plan on the basis of prefectural plan, reflecting
the wishes of local residents, and the draft becomes the plan
after being adopted by the relevant assembly.
In this way, the details of National Land Use Plans are formulated
smoothly in an interactive manner. The content of the plans
is settled in an atmosphere of mutual coordination at the three
levels: national, prefectural, and municipal government. |
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| Contents of National Land
Use Plans |
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National Land Use Plans are composed
of three sections. |
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National Land Use Plans are determined
at the three levels - national, prefectural, and municipal government -
on the basis of the following items.
| (1) |
Basic concept concerning land use (basic
policy on the comprehensive and systematic use of national land) |
| (2) |
Size targets by category corresponding
to the objectives of the land and outlines for other regions |
| (3) |
An outline of the measures needed to achieve
these. |
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| Relationship
between the National Land Use Plan and Other Programs |
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