1. Setonaikai (the Inland Sea of Seto) Area, in this article, includes 11 prefectures, Wakayama, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Oita, Ehime, Kagawa and Tokushima.
The position of this area in our country is as follows,
land space 15.9%
population 26.1%
manufacturing output 21.2%
per head income* about 250 thou. yen/year
(* national average 207 thou. yen/year)
2. Features of the industrial development of the area are to be summarized.
(1) The history of the industrial development is recent one.
(2) The development has been largely depended on the heavy industries.
From 1962 to 1968 annually about 30% of the new location of manufacturing factories in Japan has been in the area. But, for example, as to the chemical industry, the proporation was 37% in the same period, and as to the oil and coal products industry the proporation was 58%.
Now, 41% of the total output of Chemicals, 38% of oil and coal products and 52% of iron and steels in Japan are produced in the area.
(3) These industries need large scale marine traffic facility and the area fit these conditions very well.
(4) Industrial development has not been concentrated but scattered to many regions. We count fifteen seaside industrial areas and they are separated geographically and economically.
(5) The area is relatively lack of the accumulation of inland type industries such as machinery and electric instruments.
3. “The Perspective of the Regional Development of Industries” (MITI, Dec., 1968) forcasts that the manufacturing output of this area will be 24 trillions yen in 1975 and 47 trillions yen in 1985 (It was 9.7 trillions yen in 1965). The plans of constructing bridges across the inland sea, new express rail road, highway network and super scale industrial basement along the Sea of Suha will support the industrial growth.
4. But, we have to solve many problems, -how to secure a great quantity of land and water for use of industries, how to treat crowded marine traffics, how to protect the sea from water pollution and how to develop inland industries.
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