More than 10 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the reconstruction of the affected areas seems to have progressed. However, even though the reconstruction of buildings has progressed, the population of more and more areas is decreasing. Residents of coastal areas that were damaged by the tsunami sought safety on higher ground. Residents relocated en masse to newly built houses on higher ground. Currently, many of these high ground settlements are becoming marginal settlements. They built their homes on safe higher ground. These settlements are becoming marginal settlements whose future survival is in doubt. Many people say that they are worried about whether they can continue to live there, as the grass cutting and maintenance of the shrines in the town are not being done properly. Life is important, but questions have arisen about investing tax money only in a safe environment.
There is Sontoku Shrine in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. This is the shrine where Ninomiya Sontoku is enshrined. His successful example in Sakuramachimine is still a model for reconstruction today. He left behind the words, “We use the power of the wasteland to open up the wasteland, and the power of poverty to save the poor.” This means that even in a desolate rural area, there is still potential for production and profit. Even in the desolate Sakuramachi Ridge, there are fields with potential production, and if the villagers use their power, there is hidden potential to increase productivity. If you consume more than you can “produce,” you will gradually become poorer. Wastefulness that exceeds the “production” of the village should be avoided. Understanding this and striving to live within that range will lead to the exertion of productive capacity and the acquisition of profits. The collective relocation to higher ground seems to have been beyond “production.”
Some municipalities are dissatisfied with just saving, and have created a system to make money. A well-known model of this is the regional development of Shiwa Town in Iwate Prefecture. Volunteers from the town rented town-owned land that had been abandoned for more than 10 years, and have developed it into a business district that attracts more than 800,000 people a year, centered around the library. The great thing about this project is that it has led to an unimaginable business success by leasing unused town-owned land for a fee. Although Shiwa’s population is declining, local taxes are increasing. This shows that the town’s productivity is improving. With more taxes, the quality of services the government can provide to its citizens improves. Rather than restricting the budget, if there is the ability to earn money, the budget will be larger and better government will be possible. There are examples of regional revitalization like this in Japan.
