Regional Inequality and Spatial Planning in the Phase of Depopulation:

How does contemporary planning in Japan deal with regional inequality

Abstract

How does contemporary spatial planning in Japan, where the population already started to decrease and the tendency will continue at least some decades, deal with regional inequality? Modern urban planning was originally born in order to tackle with many sub-effects of population increase and rapid urbanization including enlargement of regional inequality in urban, regional and national level. However, some of contemporary planning and urban policies in Japan are now forced to tackle with depopulation and change the attitude to regional inequality. The paper discusses regional inequality and spatial planning in the phase of depopulation.