Since the distribution of regional disparities in a country is closely related to the features of urban systems, the consolidation of urban systems is seen as an important means of reducing regional disparity. This paper discusses my investigation into the present situation and the changing processes of Japanese urban systems and also point outs the efficiency of the consolidation of urban systems as a measure for underpopulated areas.
After investigating the distribution of densely inhabited districts (DIDs), which are areas with more than 5,000 inhabitants and 4,000 persons per square kilometer in municipalities, an obvious areal differentiation was recognized in their distribution (Fig. 1): the distribution density of DIDs was coarse in underpopulated areas. From the viewpoint of the growth of DIDs seen during their population increase in 1980–2005, there is also a scale difference in DIDs compared with previously. As shown by the mean population increase rate (Table 2), the larger the DIDs the higher their growth rates, while many small DIDs disappeared after 1980. In addition, notable differences appeared between the 16 central prefectures of Japan and other regions when comparing the mean growth rates (Tables 4 and 5). If areas of the three metropolitan regions are clearly limited, more marked features of areal differences become obvious.
However, this phenomenon did not start with the current downturn. It has been underway since the high economic growth period (from about 1960–1973). I previously found a similar phenomenon on the basis of commuting area analysis (Morikawa 1990b). In this paper, a municipality that holds commuting areas with at least two municipalities with a commuting rate of more than 5% is defined as a central place. By analyzing the commuting areas of these central places and their rates of change from 1985 to 2000, although this period was economically unfavorable, it is found that the commuting rate in each municipality has generally increased so that the municipalities outside these commuting areas have decreased. The mutually dependent areas formed by two neighboring municipalities as well as an areal type in which municipality A is dependent on municipality B and municipality B is dependent on municipality C with larger centrality in that order, have increased in areas with unfavorable living conditions, while the existing commuting areas in the central places have not expanded as much. However, the existing commuting areas have experienced a structural change where not only partially dependent central places such as Yokohama and Kobe but also common commuting areas and unfinished common commuting areas have gradually developed. While common commuting areas are formed through the connection of two neighboring commuting areas (e.g., Maebashi and Takasaki), they are not formed without the full development of another commuting area and remain as an unfinished common commuting area.
There are currently three types of municipalities that occupy 54% of Japanese territory which are designated as underpopulated areas based on the continually decreasing population rate or poor financial situation: original municipalities in underpopulated areas; municipalities regarded as a whole; and municipalities with some underpopulated areas within a new municipal area formed by amalgamation in the Heisei period. As the population decrease in these underpopulated areas is closely related to a similar decline in the central places, the consolidation of urban systems is considered an important measure for underpopulated areas. An association for determining how to establish well-lived autonomous areas (teijujiritsuken koso kenkyukai) recently established as a private consultative body for the minister of general affairs in 2008 proposed the consolidation of central cities with a population of 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants as a measure for consolidating underpopulated areas. ...

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Recent municipal mergers, often called “the great Heisei merger,” have increased drastically in Japan, especially between 2004 and 2006. The number of municipalities decreased by more than 40%. These municipal mergers have also affected territorial justice concerning long-term care insurance because, although a flat premium for Category 1 insured persons (senior citizens 65 and over) is applied throughout the each newly merged municipality, differences remain in the characteristics of long-term care insurance services among former municipalities. This paper examines the differences in quantitative/qualitative characteristics of long-term care insurance services between each former municipality and the newly merged municipalities, which consists of all former municipalities in each merged territory, from the viewpoint of territorial justice.
The main findings are summarized as follows.
1) To examine the differences in the quantitative characteristics of long-term care insurance services among former municipalities before merger, a quantitative index (IBI), which denotes the differences in insurance benefits, is adopted to examine the differences in the amount of insurance benefits per Category 1 insured person between the former and new municipalities. In addition to this quantitative index, two qualitative indices are defined: long-term care requirement certification (RCI) and services at facilities (SFI). The former denotes the differences in the rate of the long-term care requirement certification between the former and new municipalities. The latter denotes the degree of detachment of a component ratio of services at facilities between the former and new municipalities. Analysis showed that the quantitative index is related to the qualitative indices, especially to the RCI.
2) The geographical characteristics of the merged municipalities where marked differences in quantitative characteristics exist between the former and new municipalities were investigated using the IBI. Among 465 new municipalities, 93 with the most prominent IBIs were extracted. These 93 municipalities share the following basic characteristics: they were merged by more former municipalities, are mountainous or island regions with lower population density and were absorbed by mergers. In addition, several former municipalities had maintained the IBI level for some years before the merger. In particular, in most former municipalities where the IBI was markedly low, insurance benefits are estimated not to increase after the merger and the index will decrease. This means that the imbalance between low benefits and heavy burden of premiums in these former municipalities will continue. The new municipalities including these former municipalities have serious problems from the viewpoint of territorial justice.

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This paper discusses the development of the domestic lumber industry, focusing on the structure of sawmills, log auction market, and mechanisms for the distribution of lumber. Miyakonojo is cited as the location of Japan's leading sawmill industry. The reasons for this are the regional factors of the local sawmill industry and the directionality of the reorganization of sawmills.
There are three regional factors that affect the success of a company in the local sawmill industry. First, on the outskirts of Miyakonojo, the growth of cedar trees is faster than in other areas. Therefore it has an abundant supply of resources. Second, Miyazaki Prefecture adopted a policy emphasizing timber production. As a result, forestry and the sawmill industry developed. Third, Miyazaki Prefecture was one of the earliest to use the kiln-dried wood production system, which helped it secure a large market share for its kiln-dried wood.
The trends of the industry in Miyazaki Prefecture differ depending on the scale of operations. In large-scale sawmills, sawed log consumption and the volume of kiln-dried wood production are increasing. These sawmills actively reinvest in their operations, promote efficiency, and are increasing the use of unmanned machinery. These changes have enabled these sawmills to shift to a low-cost strategy.
The volume of sawed log in medium-scale factories is stable to decreasing. They are producing kiln-dried wood, but are not actively shifting to the aforementioned low-cost strategy. Some factories also share kiln-drying machines. Such strategic differences illuminate the differing long-term outlooks for these companies.

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Kyomachiya (traditional wooden townhouses) are one of the important elements characterizing the historical urban landscape of Kyoto. However, the rapid decrease in the number of kyomachiya and the modern urban landscape filled with high-rise buildings constructed after kyomachiya demolitions have been controversial. In recent years, the preservation of kyomachiya has become an urgent policy issue.
This paper examines the determinants of the demolition of kyomachiya in the Nishijin district, one of the historical town centers of Kyoto. We used the results of kyomachiya facade surveys to conduct stepwise logistic regression analysis incorporating explanatory variables of three categories related to kyomachiya demolitions and land use changes: 1) characteristics (conditions and usage) of kyomachiya; 2) land use restrictions; and 3) neighborhood conditions (percentage of kyomachiya, high-rise buildings, and other land use types within a 25-m or 50-m radius).
The examination of kyomachiya demolitions shows that 13% of the kyomachiya in the Nishijin district were demolished from 1998 to 2004, approximately 60% of demolished kyomachiya were rebuilt into modern townhouses, and 15% were transformed into apartment houses or commercial buildings. The spatial distribution of the demolitions was bipolarized: the ratio of demolitions was higher in areas where the density was lower, and vice versa.
The results of binary logistic regression analysis show that the demolitions are determined by building type (detached/terraced), building conditions, vacancy, building height restriction, and neighborhood conditions. In addition, kyomachiya demolitions are negatively related to neighborhood conditions. The spatial extents of neighborhood conditions differ by land use type. We discuss the demolition of one kyomachiya induces another demolition due to the neighborhood effect. Therefore, it can lead to a spatially bipolarized pattern of demolitions. Further analysis based on multinomial logistic regression analysis shows that land use changes after demolitions are determined by land use restrictions, neighborhood conditions, and previous kyomachiya characteristics. In particular, detached and well-maintained kyomachiya located within a semi-industrial zone and in neighborhoods where the density of kyomachiya is already low are more likely to be transformed into modern townhouses.
We conclude that, in a neighborhood where the number of kyomachiya is relatively low, the speed of kyomachiya demolitions increases locally so that the spatial pattern of the demolitions will be biased. Land use types after the demolitions are influenced by land use restrictions and neighborhood conditions as well as previous usages and conditions of kyomachiya. Therefore, the process of land use changes from kyomachiya occurs with both spatial and temporal linkages.

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We conducted a questionnaire survey among junior high school students and their guardians in Wajima and Shika, Ishikawa, Japan, where the Noto Hanto Earthquake in 2007 occurred, to determine the relationship between their evacuation behavior against the tsunami after the Noto Hanto Earthquake in 2007 and readiness of tsunami such as prior experiences and knowledge of the disaster. The degree of disaster preparedness was strongly correlated with their attitude toward and behavior during the earthquake. Residents who had readiness, including students who were trained in evacuation drills at school and those who had direct or indirect experience of previous disasters, could evacuate efficiently before the tsunami hit. However, the behavior of most residents was not efficient because they lacked sufficient readiness and caution for disasters. The survey results indicate that it is necessary to improve the readiness for disaster of residents and the regional disaster subculture. In addition we need to offer more education for disaster mitigation such as environment-specific training and drills through schools and community-based organizations.

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