Hokkaido, Spring 2007: A Tale of Wind and Soil Revitalization Pioneered by a Syndicated Loan -- A Strange Match between Construction and Agriculture

Hokkaido, Spring 2007: A Tale of Wind and Soil Revitalization Pioneered by a Syndicated Loan -- A Strange Match between Construction and Agriculture

In the spring of 2007, the land of Hokkaido was undergoing a quiet transformation. In the aftermath of Koizumi's structural reforms, public works projects were rapidly shrinking, and the construction industry had lost its former vigor. The surplus of heavy machinery and craftsmen were no longer of any use, and the local economy was in a state of deepening stagnation. Meanwhile, the farming communities were aging and short of labor, and vast areas of abandoned farmland were exposed to the elements.

Against this backdrop, a construction company entered the world of agriculture. Operating heavy machinery, they plowed the wastelands, made ridges, and channeled waterways. During the busy season, they even took on the harvesting and shipping of the crops, and agriculture began to take on the characteristics of a contracting business. This was not simply a change in business model, but a reorganization of the industry, recombining the resources and labor force that lay dormant in the region.

In parallel with this movement, the wind began to blow. With the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol approaching and the reduction of CO2 emissions becoming a national proposition, the construction of one of Japan's largest wind power plants began in Hokkaido under a cooperative loan program between local banks and credit unions. The construction industry's skills were once again put to use in laying foundations and power lines. The industry, which had been on the verge of decline, was now taking on a new public role in building the infrastructure of the next generation.

Agriculture, construction, and wind power generation. The fusion of these three elements became a nameless story woven by wind and soil, and was etched in the spring of Hokkaido as the original landscape of regional revitalization. The symphony of wind and soil spun by the cooperative loan was the dawn of a quiet revolution.