"Regional Decline"

In January, I published the Iwanami Shinsho book "Regional Decline." In this book, I explain "why regions have declined" using specific examples. I also clarify that some regions may have reached a "critical point" of regional decline. Furthermore, I discuss not only the problems with current policies but also what should be done to stop regional decline.

Initially, this book was planned in 2007 as a paperback titled "Regional Disparity" to address the issue of regional inequality. Also, it was not intended as a solo work, but as a co-authored book with Professor Masaru Kaneko (at the time; currently Professor Emeritus at Keio University and Project Professor at the Graduate School of Rikkyo University). However, due to various circumstances, progress was slow. It was in the spring of 2019 that the book project began to move forward again. Upon restarting the project, it was decided that I would write it as a solo author, focusing on the decline of "base industries" (industries that export products outside the region and earn income from outside the region) to explain "why regions have declined."

Suzaka City and Otaki Village in Nagano Prefecture, Nanmoku Village in Gunma Prefecture, and former coal-mining areas appear as examples of regions where base industries have declined. Among them, Suzaka City is my hometown where I spent 18 years before entering Keio University. The city was a small company town with a population of about 50,000 where the Fujitsu Suzaka Plant was located. However, triggered by the restructuring of the plant in 2002, the regional economy has been in a steady decline. To be honest, I feel some heartache about featuring the city as an example of regional decline, but it is no exaggeration to say that the decline of the city was the motivation for writing this book.

As I proceeded with the writing, there were parts where the content changed significantly from the initial concept when the project restarted. These involve the treatment of inbound demand, which had created employment in regions, and the employment absorption capacity of the service industry in Tokyo, which had created the unipolar concentration in Tokyo and the "disparity between urban and rural areas." These changes are due to the spread of COVID-19, and data is making it clear that the spread of infection is having a serious impact on regional economies. I intend to continue watching carefully how regional decline progresses.

"Regional Decline"

Masato Miyazaki

Iwanami Shinsho

200 pages, 880 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time this magazine was published.