Abstract
Restructuring of corporate organizations under the pressures of globalization and a declining population in an aging society have powerful impacts on the system of cities in Japan. Although the mono-polarization in Tokyo became weak in the depression of the 1990s after the collapse of the "bubble" economy. the Tokyo Metropolitan Area has started to become overrun by new residents, and since the mid-1990s. the functions of wholesale and information service have again concentrated. The depression of land prices has caused the provision of large amount of high-rise apartments inside the metropolitan area and the "Toshin Kaiki", a rise in net migration in the core areas, has progressed in the same period. In contrast to the metropolitan areas, most local cities are suffering from a decline of central urban areas with the decrease of population and the value of commercial sales. Under these circumstances, Japanese national land policy and industrial location policy have experienced an important turning point. Replacing the regional policy which softens the gap between central areas and peripheral areas, the independence of regional economy and the strengthening of competitiveness in the international market have been thought of as very important policies.
