Abstract
The origin of the Vision for a Digital Garden Nation is said to be the “National Garden City
Initiative” proposed by the late former Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira. Furthermore, the origin of
Ohira’s initiative is said to be Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City Theory, one of the earliest proposals
of modern urban and rural planning. In this paper, the background and content of the Garden City
Theory at the time it emerged is briefly introduced, followed by a short review of the National Garden
City Initiative proposed by Ohira. The current Digital Garden City Nation concept is then compared
with these original theories, emphasizing the uniqueness and characteristics of the Digital Garden City
Nation, along with the commonalities between all three trains of thought. Finally, the paper depicts the
positive effect the Digital Garden City Nation concept can have on how national land and regions are
shaped now and in the future.
