2016 Volume 16 Pages 48-57
This paper examines the formation process of policies to develop coal-mining regions, using the city of Kitaibaraki as an example. As Japan’s “energy revolution” progressed, the coal industry declined and many collieries were forced to close. It became clear that communities in coal-mining municipalities were consequently becoming impoverished, and in 1961 the national government enacted the Act on Temporary Measures Concerning Development Policies for Coal-Mining Areas and implemented a range of revitalization policies. While prior research has focused on the impact of these policies, adequate attention has not yet been directed to the question of how they were formulated. This paper finds that in the case of Kitaibaraki, despite constraints related to the region’s economic geography, regional development was promoted through a successful policy of creating industrial parks to attract companies.
