Editorial

15:00 JST, January 25, 2025

There can be no objection to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s basic idea of restoring vitality to the depopulating regions of Japan, but if his methods are just a rehash of conventional policies, then they are not worth talking about.

The ordinary session of the Diet has convened, and the prime minister has given his policy speech in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Ishiba emphasized his intention to push regional revitalization as a top policy priority, calling it “remodeling the Japanese archipelago in the Reiwa era.”

The prime minister said, “The public and private sectors will work together to create regional hubs, and the attractiveness of not just hardware but also content will create new flows of people.”

As specific measures to achieve this, the prime minister cited such steps as promoting the relocation of companies to regional areas, adding value to........

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