This research analyzed changing spatial structures of the inner cities in Japan from 1975 to 1995 by investigating all the large and medium sized cities. This study focused on the competition between the railroad station areas and the conventional urban cores.
Previous studies pointed out that the city center is generally moving toward station from conventional urban core. However, there are several changing patterns of inner cities according to city's setting: whether they are old cities or not, whether they are in metropolitan area or not, and so on. The development of the station areas is strongly influenced not only by the number of railroad passengers but also by the great accumulation of large-scale retail stores and urban redevelopment projects.
It was also proved that development of the back area of station has close relation to the station's physical structure. The railroad station area is greatly changing recently because of increasing development projects around station. Better understanding of the station area is important.

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Daejeon, once a small rural town, has been urbanized as a node of surface transportation. Daedeok Science Town, a stronghold of science and technology in Korea, was officially developed in an adjacent area of Daejeon. Through administrative merger of Daedeok Science Town, Daejeon got a chance to be developed as a new type of city. Daejeon began to develop as a “technopolis” based on Daedeok Science Town. Moreover, Daedeok Valley, a venture business cluster, was formed in Daejeon on the basis of increasing spin-off companies from the former research staff in Daedeok Science Town. They chose to establish their venture businesses, because the employment of Daedeok Science Town became instable by the economic crisis of the country. Daedeok Valley means a change of Daejeon as a high-tech industrial area. Various political stimulations by central and local governments initiated the change in Daejeon. In recent years, moreover, new regional policies are being evolved in Daejeon for the maintenance and reinforcement of innovation based on the development of Daedeok Valley. Innovation means “a new combination making some new values through knowledge creation” in this study. The change of Daejeon based on some new combinations of spaces, actors and policies and administrations brought formation and development of regional innovation structure. This article reviews the regional innovation structure of Daedeok and Daejeon in terms of regional change and policies.

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The amount and rate of soil erosion on hiking trails were monitored around the Susoaidaira area, Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido, which experiences one of the heaviest visitations in mountain national parks of Japan. Method of Cole (1983) was used to understand the changes of the trail surface. Only four sites among nine sites delivered the results for the 10- to 13-year period.
The rates of soil erosion varied from site to site: 193.4 to 1, 402.5cm²/yr for the period of 10-13 years. Also, the amount and rates varied from year to year even at the same site. These results suggest that short-term monitoring of 1-3 years cannot provide the accurate amount/rate of erosion. Erosion rate derived from short-term monitoring becomes larger when heavy rainstorm comes as the case in 1999. Continuous supply of meltwater of snow in late spring and summer contributes to soil erosion in Daisetsuzan National Park; however, heavy rainfall should be a great contributor to the soil erosion as well.
It is emphasized that mid-term and long-term management of mountain national parks requires understanding of soil erosion derived from long-term monitoring. At the same time, repeat measurement at short intervals should be also placed in the long-term monitoring.

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