In Japan, the declining birthrate, aging population, and concentration of the population in urban areas are progressing ahead of other countries, making the maintenance and development of local economies, municipal functions, and communities an urgent issue. These issues are likely to arise in Europe, the U.S., and Asia, where birthrates are gradually declining and populations are aging. Also, like Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines, which are inviting this time, have been successful in attracting tourists to major urban areas and famous resorts, but many regional cities have been struggling, and even major cities and resorts are now struggling, as the Corona disaster has further exacerbated the situation.
While carefully unraveling the multifaceted elements involved in local development and regional revitalization, this course will help students understand how they are connected and how they are structured, while also listening to the voices of those involved and visiting related facilities to acquire the theory they have learned. The course will also enable participants to acquire the theory learned by listening to the voices of those involved and visiting related facilities. Through group work, participants will also have an opportunity to think about how to discover local resources and apply Japanese regional revitalization know-how to their own countries.

日本では他国に先駆けて少子高齢化と都市部への人口一極集中が進んでおり、地域経済や自治体機能、コミュニティの維持発展が喫急の課題となっている。これらの課題は今後、徐々に少子高齢化が進む欧米やアジア諸国にも発生する課題となりうる。また、日本と同様、今回招へいするマレーシアやフィリピンも、主要都市部や有名リゾート地の観光客誘致は成功しているものの、多くの地方都市では苦戦している状況であったが、コロナ禍がさらに追い打ちをかけ、主要都市やリゾート地でさえ、苦戦している状況である。
地方創生、地域活性化には多面的な要素が絡まり合っているが、本コースではそれらを1つ1つ丁寧に紐解きながらも、どのように結びつき合っているか、どのような構造になっているか、を理解するとともに、関係者の生の声を聞き、関連施設を視察することで、学んだ理論を身に付けていく。また、グループワークを通して、地域資源をどのように発掘し参加者の国々への日本的地方創生ノウハウの展開を考えるきっかけとする。