Recent Deliberation of the Council for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations


Now the Council is promoting investigation and study in many fields such as topography, landscapes, water supply, earthquakes and other disasters to select candidate relocation sites for the Diet and other organizations.
Recent Council deliberations on those themes are summarized here.

(1) Study on Landscape


The new city to be selected as the relocation site of the Diet and other organizations is required to formulate landscape suitable for the "Drawing Room of the Country."
As a result of the study, the Council proposed that consideration should be given to let the new city have a genuine Japanese landscape. The Council also classified the landscape characteristics of each regionunder investigation and categorized the regional landscape characteristics as shown below in view of the relative locations of mountains, rivers and sea.



In addition, landscape characteristics were also categorized based on topography and land utilization.
There are various points of view as to what landscapes are suitable for the relocation site of the Diet and other organizations, and therefore the landscapes of each region were not graded. Candidate relocation site selection will be possible by means other than just relying on vague impressions.



(2) Study on the Feasibility of the Smooth Acquisition of Land


In constructing a new city for the relocation site of the Diet and other organizations, it is important that the necessary land can be acquired smoothly. The feasibility of acquiring land has been inferre
d based on experience and intuition, but in the study, factors deemed to enable smooth land acquisition are systematically classified from three viewpoints as shown in the chart, for selecting the candidate relocation sites as objectively and impartially as possible.

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Based on the above study, approximate tendency of the feasibility of smooth acquisition of land in each region was grasped by classifying the characteristics of each region in respect to factors which can be objectively investigated in the present stage, such as land utilization density, land utilization control and national and public land distribution condition. Hearings were carried out in various prefectures to assess the approximate situation.


Public Hearings Being Held


The Council for Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations has been holding public hearings with participation by members and expert members of the Council to listen to opinions of a wide range of citizens to reflect those opinions in future deliberations and report conclusion in the Council.

=Future Hearing Schedules and Procedures for Participation


Sapporo ANA Hotel at Kita-3-jo-nishi 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido
May 17, 1999 (Mon.) from 14:00 to 16:00


Leaguer Hotel Zest Takamatsu at 9-1, Koshinmati, Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture
May 27, 1999 (Thir.) from 14:00 to 16:00

Reference

1/26(Tues.) 2/1(Mon.) 2/26(Fri.) 3/18(Thir.) 4/14(Wed.) 4/26(Mon.) 5/17(Mon.) 5/27(Thir.) 6/18(Fri.)
Osaka Nagoya Tokyo Fukuoka Sendai Hiroshima Sapporo Takamatsu Kanazawa

(Time scheduled for Kanazawa meeting is also from 14:00 to 16:00. Details will be announced later.)

Those who would like to participate in the hearings should apply by mail or fax clearly describing their address, name, age, telephone number, desired place of hearing by the following closing dates (for sending address, refer to the end of this issue).

By April 19, 1999 (Mon.) for Sapporo Meeting
By April 27, 1999 (Tues.) for Takamatsu Meeting

Those who would like to to make a statement (for about 8 minutes per person) should write clearly "Statement Desired" and summarize the statement.


"Construction of a High-Value-Added-Type New Capital" Discussed in the Diet


The "Social Committee for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations" of the House of Representatives invited Mr. Jitsuro Terashima, the General Manager of the Information & Research Department, Corporate Planning Division, Mistui & Co., Ltd..
He submitted a proposal that the government should try to construct a new city which can create added values such as "the Improvement of the Living Environment and Information Infrastructure," "the Formulation of an International Center City," "the Realization of Highly Cultural Plans," "Environment-Conservation-Type National Formation" and "Independence of Economy through Separation of Policy and Economy." Based on his proposal, the Committee conducted in-depth discussions concerning the relocation conceptions from various viewpoints, such as governmental system, the method of software implementation, the interrelationship of decentralized society with an aging society, and a culture in which Japan can be proud. (For details, please refer to the minutes of the proceedings published bythe House of Representatives.)

To the Readers!

We would sincerely like to answer questions given by readers within the permitted space.
On this issue, we will use the following page to address the major items of significance of the relocation shown below, on which the most questions have been asked.
(a)
Promote innovation of all thenational political organizations.
(b)
Correct the unipolar concentration of activities in Tokyo.
(c)
Augment the capability to deal with national land disasters.


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Main Current Trends in the Diet and Government

<Related to the Diet>

March 10, 1999 The Special Committee for the Relocation of
the Diet and Other Organizations of the House of Representatives had an interpellation inviting Mr. Jitsuro Terashima, the General Manager of the Information & Research Department, Corporate Planning Division, Mistui & Co., Ltd..
March 24, 1999 The Special Committee for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations of the House of Representatives had an interpellation inviting Dr. Kazuo Hiramoto, the General Manager of the Research Center for Urban and Environmental Planning, Mistubishi Research Institute, Inc..


<<Related to the Government>

February 26, 1999 The 3rd public hearing in Tokyo
March 17, 1999 A Joint Session of the 16th meeting of the Council for the Relocation of the Diet and Other Organizations and the 13th meeting of its Investigation Subcommittee
March 18, 1999 The 4th public hearing in Fukuoka



Answers to Your Questions
Significance of the Capital Functions Relocation (1)

--What is the "Augmentation of the Capability to Deal with National Disasters?"

The metropolitan region has been repeatedly struck by severe earthquakes throughout history. If an earthquake equivalent to the Great Kanto Earthquake struck south Kanto District in the present conditions, it would cause not only severe human and material damage in the metropolitan region but also social and economical impact on the whole of Japan and even the rest of the world.
-Avoidance of Simultaneous Disasters with Tokyo
When the capital functions are relocated to an area where simultaneous damages with Tokyo can be avoided, simultaneous damages to the hub of politics, administration and economy can be avoided even if a major earthquake strikes Tokyo.
Politics and administration function as the control center for the rehabilitation, enabling not only rapid restoration and rehabilitation of the disaster-stricken area but also minimization of political and administrative stagnation caused by the disasters and effects on Japan and overseas resulting from disaster-stricken economic center.

-Improvement of Disaster-Resistance in Tokyo
Of course, it goes without saying that measures against earthquake disaster should be promoted in Tokyo regardless of the Relocation since Tokyo is always exposed to earthquake disaster hazards.
Preferably, during the Relocation, disaster-resistance in Tokyo can be improved by utilizing the sites of relocated government employees' housing and other facilities (totaling up to 210ha, about 45 times the area of Tokyo Dome) for promoting fireproofing and the construction of disaster prevention bases.

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Accessing Various Information

Various information concerning the capital function relocation has been being provided on the National Land Agency Homepage on the Internet. Please take a look at it! Also if you are interested in items described in this brochure or others, please let us know. We are awaiting your contact.


We are Waiting for Your Contact

Address: Capital Functions Relocation Planning Division, Metropolitan Areas Development Bureau, National Land Agency 2-2, Kasumigaseki 1-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8972 JAPAN

Homepage: http://www.mlit.go.jp/kokudokeikaku/iten/English/english.htm
E-mail:hqt-itenka(a)gxb.mlit.go.jp　（Please replace (a) with @）

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