Based on the main subject, we examined three advanced examples of a local host community in our country, with a population of 10,000 individuals. Obuse Town and Shinano Town of Nagano are examples of such towns, and the landscape formation in their town planning is significantly based on “the aesthetic regulations” employed in designing Manazuru Town of Kanagawa. We proposed an ideal method of planning administration to be implemented by the partnership among citizen, government and enterprise. This method is based on town planning and the recent soft-tourism, which we considered from the strategic viewpoint of town management.

This paper focuses on the recent development of ecotourism. Ecotourism is a major regional activity, aiming at economic development amid better environmental circumstances. However, the principles regarding the promotion of ecotourism are not common among different researches, and this has led to some confusion regarding definitions. It is necessary for a rigorous definition and the principles of ecotourism to be applied to regional development from a common-pool perspective. Moreover, we intend to provide some case studies pertaining to regions implementing ecotourism and mention the policy implications regarding ecotourism-based management.

In 1993, a part of the mountainous region in Yakushima Island was designated as Japan's first world natural heritage site. This designation prompted tourists to visit Yakushima Island; consequently, the number of tourists who visited Yakushima Island increased from 150,000 in 1997 and to 200,000 in 2002. After this designation was implemented, the public authorities constructed boardwalks and toilets in the mountainous region in order to mitigate overuse issues. Authorities such as town offices also constructed public parks and toilets in the lowland region. The cost of maintaining the entire island increased from 21 million yen in 1992 to 138 million yen in 2002. Despite such efforts undertaken by the public authorities, the environmental conditions of Yakushima Island are now worse than they were before Yakushima's designation as a world heritage site. A top-down approach, which was highly inclined towards public works, did not serve to resolve the issue of the overuse of the mountainous region in Yakushima. In order to improve this situation, it is necessary for the public authorities to further involve local opinion in the planning of the management system. Furthermore, the establishment of a more comprehensive action plan for the entire Yakushima Island should be useful.

Ministry of the Environment of Japan held a series of advisory committees named as “the Conference for the Promotion of Eco-tourism” from 2003 to 2004. The conference adopted 5 policy schemes for promotion of eco-tourism in Japan. The five schemes are as follows; Promotive Model Projects, Web-based Eco-Tour Information System, Eco-tourism Annual Awards, the provision of a manual for the promotion of eco-tourism and related projects. Many of successful eco-tours have been practiced in World Heritage Areas, National Parks and other rural areas, that are often vulnerable to human use. Therefore, it is important for the each area to have not only good guide systems but also good local rules for eco-tourism, which suit for their own circumstances and local needs to ensure sustainable and wise-use of the beautiful Japanese nature, and also the healthy and sustainable development for the local communities. In order to establish the adequate local systems and rules, it is necessary for each area to have transparent and open discussion processes with full participation of all the stakeholders.

A basic law for tourism development in Japan has been enforced in 2007, and strengthening tourism administration as an integrated policy has been recommended at the level of local government. This integrated administration progresses along three lines: (1) with other administrative posts, (2) between different administrative subjects such as countries and prefectures, (3) with private sector undertakings like industry and resident groups. At present, the evaluation of tourism destination management is less prevalent as compared to that of enterprises, which are evaluated in many ways. However, it is crucial to evaluate whether the tourism policy is appropriately implemented for not only tourism entrepreneurs but also residents. Moreover, it is useful to compile an index for the stakeholder beyond the border, containing information such as that regarding the central government, holder of the municipal bond or land, and financial institutions that have invested in the region. However, it is necessary to combine the techniques of tourism statistics and administrative evaluation to maintain such an index.

Regarding the decision process of the prefectural master plan, it is important to consider the residents' opinions and update the plan accordingly. In Hyogo Prefecture, the prefectural government realized the importance of public involvement in their latest report, which takes into account this involvement as a technique of legal city planning. It was decided that this important technique of public involvement would be used in the prefectural master plan for 2001-2003. Therefore, the Hyogo Prefectural Government values the opinions of its residents.

This study examined the public involvement in the Hyogo Prefectural Government, and we aimed to obtain suggestions regarding the decision process of city planning from a diverse group of residents. In this process, we used various presentation techniques and collected the views of many residents through specifically designed questionnaires. The participants in this research could ask questions to the presenters and share their opinions. This research confirmed that it was important to recommend the use of public involvement techniques, as described in the report, before formulating legal procedures.

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) law was enacted in Japan in 1997. Although there has been considerable improvement in the last Cabinet Council assessment, the EIA system is still beset by some problems. Japan's antipollution and environmental policies were considered to set a good example for East Asian countries till the twentieth century. However, the EIA of Japan cannot be considered exemplary. In contrast, the EIA enacted by Taiwan in 1994 is very advanced, providing not only EIA but also regulations pertaining to strategic environmental assessment.

This study aims to review and evaluate Taiwan's environment policies and EIA system. First, it describes the changes in the environmental policies and legislative processes regarding EIA Laws. Second, this study investigates Taiwan's current EIA system, focusing on various aspects of the system such as procedures, projects subject, citizen participation, etc. The present study also compares the respective EIA systems of Japan and Taiwan. Finally, it clarifies the differences between each feature and system in the two countries. In addition, this study also provides suggestions toward improving the EIA system of Japan.

In Japan, a growing number of firms and facilities are introducing an environmental management system (EMS). The adoption of EMS is expected to help firms to significantly reduce their environmental impact. The objective of this paper is to explore the motivation of the facility to adopt EMS, based on the results of the OECD survey which we conducted from April to May 2003. We found that public authorities, customers, and neighborhood and community groups are important stakeholders who influence the adoption of EMS in facilities. We also found that the competitiveness and location of the market of the products are likely to affect the motivation. Moreover, we found that the facilities of publicly held firms are likely to adopt EMS, probably, since the Japanese financial market values the adoption of EMS and raises the market value of the firms which have adopted it.