A Study of the Prefectural Divisions (“Koiki-Ken”) in the Kanto, Tohoku and Hokkaido Regions

Abstract

In 1977, the Thrid Comprehensive National Development Plan of Japan, which included the concept of “Settled Areas”, was published. Surely, the most important consideration of this concept is that employment opportunities be secured in each of these “Settled Areas”. This is because the flow of migration from non-metropolitan to metropolitan areas is caused by the imbalance of employment opportunity between the former and the latter. In Japan, there is also evidence of migratory flow to prefectural divisions (“Koiki-ken”) in which prefectural capitals are located from prefectural divisions where they are not. In view of these phenomena, we may describe migration in Japan as being “two-tiered”.I am of the opinion that, in Japan, the prefectural division is more suited as a unit of regional analysis than the prefecture itself, especially when considering factors such as population, labour force, etc. This report is a study of the present conditions in the prefectural divisions of the Kanto, Tohoku and Hokkaido Regions and pays attention to the ratio, in each division, of the labour force engaged in agriculture, manufacturing industry, commerce, service industries, etc. In all probability, the most important employment category for regional policy today is the manufacturing industry.Between 1960 and 1965, the ratio of the labour force in manufacturing increased in the belt surrounding Tokyo, whilst between 1965 and 1970, it rose outside this belt, in the prefectural divisions of the Northern Kanto Region and the Southern Tohoku Region. Between 1970 and 1975, the population engaged in manfuacturing in the Southern Kanto Region declined, but that in the Tohoku Region increased gradually, while its share of agricultural population fell rapidly.Whilst the early stages of development involved the transfer of labour from agriculture (primary industrial activity) to manufacturing (secondary industrial activity), I believe that the key point of regional policy today is the next stage, viz: where the population settled in an area is increased in a manner corresponding to the increase in manfuacturing activity in that area, so that it may provide a stable base for the establishment and development of tertiary industrial activity.