The Zero-to-One Village Revitalization Movement in Chizu Town, Tottori Prefecture

JFS Newsletter No.177 (May 2017)

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A Japanese town often mentioned as a municipality making innovative efforts to promote regional revitalization is Chizu Town (or Chizu-cho) in Tottori Prefecture, western Japan. This town is located in the prefecture's southeast region, sharing a border with Okayama Prefecture, and is about 30 minutes from Tottori City (the prefectural capital) by limited express train. With a population of 7,300 and 93 percent of its area covered by mountainous forests, the town has made it onto an association's list as one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan.

In Japan, several other towns are also gaining attention for their efforts to promote regional revitalization, such as Ama Town in Shimane Prefecture and Kamiyama Town in Tokushima Prefecture. In many cases, there is often a prominent leader. You might hear about Mr. A working in the Ama Municipality Office, or Mr. B working in a non-governmental organization in Kamiyama Town. But in Chizu-cho, there seem to be no such "star players." Even so, a variety of wonderful initiatives have been created, and many residents participate in revitalizing the region while the local government gives them solid support. To find out more about the town's efforts and the source of its "power," we visited Chizu-cho and interviewed Daisuke Kunioka and Kengo Ashitani, who are working for the Chizu Town Office.

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