Oita Port Special Environmental and Logistics Zone" - Perspectives from around 2002

Oita Port Special Environmental and Logistics Zone" - Perspectives from around 2002

In the early 2000s, Japan was in the midst of a prolonged recession that was aggravating regional economic stagnation. Local ports were inferior to their big-city counterparts in terms of container handling volume and faced issues of underutilization and overcapacity, while the development of ports in China and South Korea was progressing, making it imperative to strengthen international competitiveness. Against this backdrop, the government launched a policy of "special zones for structural reform" to introduce deregulation on a regional basis, and the "Oita Port Environmental and Logistics Special Zone" in Oita Prefecture was established as one representative example.

The aim of this special zone was to revitalize the region by linking the Port of Oita, the coastal industrial area, and the Oita Distribution Business Park in an integrated manner to improve logistics efficiency and attract environmental industries. Taking advantage of its location on the Seto Inland Sea and relatively close to the Kanto and Kansai regions, the designated bonded area was flexibly utilized to create a hub for domestic and international cargo. In the distribution business district, regulations concerning customs clearance and land use were relaxed to facilitate the construction of manufacturing and retail facilities, thereby encouraging industrial concentration. This was expected to reduce logistics costs and promote the location of new businesses.

At the time, the waste treatment, recycling, and renewable energy sectors were attracting attention as growth areas, and were also a trump card for the creation of new jobs in the region. The Oita Port project was more than just a port development project; it was a symbolic attempt at a regional strategy linking the environment and logistics, and it attracted nationwide attention.