論説
地域における環境ビジネス振興策の展開と課題
―北九州エコタウンを事例に―
2019 年 2019 巻 34 号 p. 17-32
詳細
2019 年 2019 巻 34 号 p. 17-32
It's been 20 years since The Eco-Town Plan started in 1997 in Japan. The purpose of The Eco-Town Plan is growth of the recycling business in region. The scheme of The Eco-Town Plan is the same as a traditional regional industrial policy in Japan. The government appoints areas and gives subsidies. This trial succeeded to some extent. Some laws in conjunction with the recycling that was passed in the 2000s supported this growth. The accumulation of heavy and chemical industries supported recycling business in Eco-Town, too. However, the growth of The Eco-Town stopped today. The number of the Eco-Town increased to 26 in first ten years, but stopped afterwards. Some firms located in The Eco-Town went bankrupt.
This paper analyzes The Kitakyushu Eco-Town that is mentioned to have most succeeded in Japan. Why would it succeed? The cause of the success is accumulation of heavy industry, active support of the local government and substantial infrastructure. However, Kitakyushu Eco-Town does not continue growing up, and the growth stops. There is the company located in Kitakyushu Eco-Town in a tendency to decrease. Many recycling factories suffer from lack of the waste. The recycling industrial growth process has been over. In such situation, what kind of policy will be required?
