Establishment of the Japan Organization for Internal Migration (JOIN)
October 09, 2007 (Tuesday)
With the aim of promoting healthy development of the Japanese peninsula, which has now entered population decline and become an aging society, the inaugural meeting of the Japan Organization for Internal Migration (JOIN) was held on October 5. I have previously commented on how it is desirable for those who seek healthier lifestyles to move from heavily populated cities to sparsely populated regions, and about a personal wish to start such a movement. The inaugural JOIN meeting was held under such aspirations.
Participating in this meeting as JOIN members were about 60 companies, 30 prefectures, and 500 cities, towns and villages. A handful of ambassadors were appointed to promote this JOIN movement, and a group of bloggers (blog writers) who enjoy more rural lifestyles also participated.
JOIN will receive comprehensive support from the Regional Revitalization Center, an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and a variety of programs have been planned. The following is a rough breakdown of these programs.
- Information transmission programs: Establishing a JOIN portal site, issuing mail magazines for individual members, and holding JOIN events and fairs.
- Support programs for constructing a JOIN acceptance system.
- New business creation and exchange programs: Establishing a new business creation research committee, setting up a website for company and local government members, and holding exchange events.
I was appointed chair of this organization at the inaugural meeting on October 5, and it is my intent to focus on the development of JOIN so that it will spread as a national movement.
This movement will for a time be developed with a revenue of about US$1 million from membership fees and income from programs. Over time, however, we expect a many-fold budget increase from the participation of additional companies, and with this we will endeavor to generate vibrant movements across the Japanese peninsula.
The momentum behind the development of these programs lies in the fact that participating companies can increase profits through involvement with the exchange and migration of people. The movement of people should be a lucrative opportunity for travel agencies, the transportation industry, lodging facilities and etc., and if these people settle, opportunities will also open for companies in the housing sector, nursing care, hospitals, sports facilities and so on. These companies bolster profits through their own unique business models, but a JOIN network with public-private cooperation should bring about even greater business opportunities.
That is to say, when companies engage in business activities they become the subject of various government restrictions such as regulations, plans and divisions. If it were possible, however, for these companies to engage in speedy and effective consultation to utilize or overcome these barriers in a positive manner, business should receive a significant boost. If both public and private JOIN participants were to realize such speedy and effective exchange it would facilitate business expansion for private companies, and this in turn should provide momentum for the development of the JOIN movement. This could be called a new experiment in overcoming the restrictions of Japan, a country rich in regulations, and it is our intent to see to it that its merits are utilized to the extent possible.