Japan Govt Eyes Regional Development through Roadside Stations

   Tokyo, Dec. 23 (Jiji Press)--Japan's infrastructure ministry plans to promote regional development centering around the country's "michi no eki" roadside rest stations by creating a framework to support such efforts through cooperation among various government ministries and agencies.
   Next month, the ministry will start inviting municipal governments to apply for a support program. It plans to provide them with intensive support, including financial aid, over three years from fiscal 2025 starting next April.
   With michi no eki stations taking on wide-ranging roles from tourism and agriculture to disaster prevention, the government hopes to further strengthen their functions to revitalize local communities.
   The infrastructure ministry and other government agencies, including the internal affairs ministry, agriculture ministry and the Cabinet Office, will join hands to establish a cross-government support team, which will send expert advisers to municipal authorities and set up unified inquiry counters.
   Municipal governments wishing to receive the central government's support are required to submit a plan explaining the aim of regional development and the role of michi no eki stations. To demonstrate that the regional development efforts will be undertaken by the local community as a whole, the plan should bear the names of both the municipal chief and the head of the roadside station.

(2024/12/23-16:08)