Abstract
This study aims to clarify the roles of the Tohoku Development Promotion Plans (TDPPs) by reviewing the chronological changing process of the functions of TDPPs based on investigation of the national parliament minutes and documents on amendments of the law. In addition, this study reviews the process shifting from the Comprehensive National Land Development Act to the new National Spatial Strategy Act in 2005 which integrates the regional plans in it. Consequently, it clarifies the changing process of roles of wide-area regional plans since the establishment of TDPPs in 1950s and the relationship between the past arguments on amendments of regional plans and the new regional plan system such as the national and prefectural government partnership method.
