People in Small Rural Municipality and on a Remote Island Connect Online to the Outside: Some Examples in Shimane Prefecture of the Sannindo and Kochi Prefecture of the Nankaido

Abstract

This chapter examines the municipal power of prefectures in western Japan whose population-sustaining power has been devastated for some time. Two prefectures studied, in particular are, Shimane in the Sannindo, and Kochi in Nankaido. Shimane Prefecture is in the Sannindo of the Goki-Shichido. However, we must remember the socio-cultural divisions of the three provinces in Shimane Prefecture, namely Izumo, Iwami, and Oki. Our investigations identified clear variations in municipal power through provincial differences. It is widely acknowledged that the Izumo region holds northeastern socio-cultural orientation while the Iwami region carries a southwestern socio-cultural orientation, and the Oki region is independent. This assumption has been validated in the current study by measuring municipal power in Shimane Prefecture. Furthermore, we inspected closely the municipal power of Ama-cho on Oki Islands. Under the slogan of “There is nothing that is not here,” Ama-cho seems to have modified its defensive administrative attitudes to challenges, as exemplified in the increase in employment and the Dozen High School programs. The number of I-turns between 2004 and 2015 amount to some 300 households and 400 people, of whom 70 people are in their 20s and 30s. These demographic changes tell that Ama-cho has been changing for the better in recent years. We should remember, however, the population of Ama-cho once was 7,000 in 1950, and it has been on the declining trend continuously to less than 2,400 by the year 2015, of which 40% are older adults. It is true, therefore, that the population crisis of Ama-cho has not been solved but continues to exist. What is important for the revitalization of a local remote community on an island such as Ama-cho is its determination to make decisions for pursuing the projects that they set up. Each municipality is encouraged to take its own initiative and challenge on one hand, but at the same time its seriousness and determination to revitalize the community is expected. Another prefecture suffering from population deterioration in the southwestern part of Japan is Kochi of Tosa Province, in the Nankaido. First, we analyzed municipal power across 34 municipalities within Kochi Prefecture, and found little noticeable variations within the prefecture. This is, perhaps, because Kochi Prefecture had existed as Tosa Province solely. Then, we examined Otoyo-cho, one of the most seriously depopulated municipalities in Kochi Prefecture. It is the inevitable reality that population decline in Otoyo-cho has been developing rapidly; the population today has been reduced to less than one-sixth (3,611 in 2019) from the time when Otoyo-cho was established in 1955 (22,386). At the same time, we know that now is the time to preserve the superb natural environment surrounding Otoyo-cho. Thus, taking advantage of positive aspects of the municipal power and social capital of Otoyo-cho it is imperative to work on countermeasures for this imminent situation. For this reason, we considered three programs that have been adopted in Otoyo-cho in recent years. They are the very programs that could be pursued by the mountain rural area of Otoyo-cho, but no other place. These programs are the Otoyo Peony Society (Otoyo Shakuyaku no Kai), Otoyo Delivery Service (Otoyo Takuhai Service), and Welcome to Otoyo Immigration Project (Oideyo Otoyo Ijyu Keikaku). We discuss each project in the current chapter. Accumulation of these small but steady efforts will surely contribute to the revitalization of Otoyo-cho.