ABSTRACT
The rapid economic growth in post-war Japan has caused the concentration of economic activities and population in a few metropolitan regions. Regions have been losing their economic vitality due to regional income disparities and population losses. With the aim of preventing excessive growth of metropolitan regions and correcting regional disparities, the government has previously formulated four Comprehensive National Development Plans (CNDP) since the first plan was formulated in 1962. Regional development policies under the four CNDPs have sought to tackle regional problems by adopting three particular regional development policies: first, the construction of a national network of transportation and communications which form the national land axis; second, the development of growth poles in local regions; and third, the relocation of industries from the metropolitan to the local regions. While the regional disparities still exist between the metropolitan and the local regions, each region has shown a growing tendency towards local development as well as the improvement of living conditions.
