A Study of Rural Regeneration Resonating in Aso and Kuma: Perspectives from Around 2002

A Study of Rural Regeneration Resonating in Aso and Kuma: Perspectives from Around 2002

Around 2002, Japan's rural population was declining and aging, and the increase in abandoned farmland was a serious problem. Especially in the mountainous areas, there was a notable shortage of farmers, making it difficult to maintain and manage farmland, leading to the decline of villages and a widening gap between urban areas and rural areas. The government introduced the Basic Act for Establishing a Recycling-Oriented Society and the Special Zones for Structural Reform system one after another, and sought ways to infuse new vitality into these exhausted farming villages.

One such initiative was the "Special Zone for Experiencing Rural Community Life" in the Aso-Kuma region of Kumamoto Prefecture. In this special zone, regulations were relaxed to allow non-farmers to acquire farmland, and urban residents were allowed to participate. Furthermore, regulations regarding the opening of farmer's inns were relaxed, and public facilities for exchanges were outsourced to the private sector, creating a system that can easily attract people from outside the region.

The goal was to promote green tourism. By having city residents stay in farming villages and experience farming and the natural environment, the number of people interacting with them will increase, and new sources of income will be created in farming villages. The emphasis was also placed on increasing the value of local products by establishing a system of local production for local consumption. This was not only a strategy to promote tourism, but also to regenerate farmland that was being abandoned and to support the sustainability of rural communities.

At the time, interest in "healing" and "slow life" was spreading throughout society, and the movement to link urban and rural areas was attracting attention. The Aso and Kuma special zone projects were a challenge for local farming communities to revitalize themselves using nature and culture as resources, and were significant as an attempt to create new hope in the midst of decline.