STUDY SAYS GOJ AMENDMENTS TO URBAN PLANNING LAWS ARE THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 FUKUOKA 000023 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE PASS TO USTR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EIND EINV PGOV SOCI JA SUBJECT: STUDY SAYS GOJ AMENDMENTS TO URBAN PLANNING LAWS ARE THE WRONG MEDICINE FOR KYUSHU CITIES Sensitive But Unclassified -- please protect accordingly. SUMMARY ¶1. (SBU) A recent report by the Kyushu Economic Research Center (KERC) argues that the Government of Japan's (GOJ) proposed amendments to two of the three Urban Planning Laws ("Machizukuri Sanpo") will actually do little to revitalize urban centers in the Kyushu/Yamaguchi region. The GOJ proposals are intended to restrict large retail stores in suburbs and concentrate more such business in declining urban cores. However, the KERC report notes that problems facing Japanese city centers go beyond suburban growth to include population decline, decreasing office demand, changing consumer behavior, and the rapid expansion of online shopping. The key to urban revitalization is to redefine the functions of urban areas rather than regulate the size of suburban stores. Meanwhile, some local initiatives in Kyushu to restrict suburban commercial development are more political posturing than serious regulation. End Summary. KYUSHU: MOST URBAN CENTERS ARE DECLINING... ¶2. (U) KERC, Kyushu's premier economic think tank, recently analyzed the health of urban centers in major cities of the region. According to their report, except for Fukuoka City, retail sales in urban commercial centers have been sluggish or declining. In small-medium cities, downtown retail sales fell on average about 40% from 1997 to 2002. Even in central Fukuoka, traditionally the "shopping center" of Kyushu, growth in retail sales has leveled off. Some key factors behind this trend were a dwindling youth population in most areas, and the growing number of large stores located in suburbs. These now account for about 78% of the region's very large stores, defined as those with over 15,000 square meters (sq.m.) of floor space. KERC also attributes some of the decline to the rapid expansion of on-line shopping, which for Japan as a whole shot up by over 1000% in value terms from 2000-2004. Retail sales at department stores and supermarkets contracted by over 10% during the same period. ¶3. (U) Demand for urban office space has also declined across the Kyushu/Yamaguchi region, except in the cities of Fukuoka and Kagoshima. Kagoshima continues to benefit as the southern terminus of the new Kyushu Shinkansen line, the first leg of �00A;which opened in 2004. Meanwhile, economic growth in northern Kyushu pushed demand for new office space in Fukuoka to 89,100 sq.m. from 2000-2004, a level three times that of Nagoya. Corporate restructuring and consolidation, particularly in the financial services sector, depressed demand in other parts of the region, according to KERC. ...BUT DON'T BLAME IT ALL ON SUBURBAN STORES ¶4. (U) In a purported effort to curb the exodus of shoppers to the suburbs, the GOJ is proposing to amend portions of Japan's Urban Planning Laws, in particular the City Planning Law. (The other two pieces of the Urban Planning Laws, or "Machizukuri Sanpo," are the Downtown Area Revitalization Law, and the Large Store Location Law.) Under the proposed amendments, new zoning restrictions would limit the types of land on which large stores (defined as 10,000 sq.m. floor space or greater) could be constructed in suburban areas. However, because of the variety of factors outlined in its report, KERC is very skeptical that such restrictions will contribute much to urban revitalization. Rather, large-scale demographic changes, as well as changing consumption patterns - such as greater spending on services vs. goods - will have a more profound impact on the fortunes of urban retailers, KERC believes. REDEFINING THE ROLE OF URBAN CENTERS ¶5. (U) According to KERC, the seeds of rejuvenation are emerging as some urban areas transform themselves from "consumption" into "production" centers. Venture and personal services businesses are beginning to fill vacant commercial space, and the population in some urban districts is gradually rising with new condominium construction. KERC suggests that even as Kyushu's urban cores lose their role as merchandising centers to the suburbs, they can find new life as 1) residential space (especially for seniors and working families with small children); 2) incubation zones for venture businesses; 3) centers for arts and education; and 4) home to knowledge-based industries. On this last point, KERC noted that in Kyushu/Yamaguchi there are now 103 customer service call FUKUOKA 00000023 002 OF 002 centers, accounting for over 20,000 new jobs. About 80% of these are in urban districts. They include main call centers of U.S. firms AIG Group and Dell in the cities of Nagasaki and Miyazaki, respectively. LOCAL INITIATIVES: POLITICS OVER SUBSTANCE ¶6. (U) Among Kyushu jurisdictions, Kumamoto Prefecture in particular has drawn attention for issuing its own guidelines in December 2005 on the opening of large stores (over 10,000 sq.m.). Kumamoto said it crafted the measures as a follow-up to the GOJ's March 2005 amendments to Guidelines for Article 4 of the "Large Store Location Law." These national guidelines mention the "social responsibilities" to the community of large stores (more broadly defined as over 1,000 sq.m.),but don't specify what these responsibilities are. A Kumamoto official told post that the local guidelines are not geared at restricting store size or location, but are rather to suggest specific ways in which the store can contribute to the community (such as joining the local chamber of commerce, supporting local events, promoting local products, etc.). Within four months of submitting an application to build a new large store, for instance, companies are asked to submit a "community contribution plan" to the prefecture and hold an explanatory meeting for affected communities. ¶7. (SBU) While large retailers have criticized the GOJ's proposed amendments as contrary to Japan's structural reform drive, their reaction to the Kumamoto initiative is that it is a political gesture which will have little substantive effect on business plans. Prefecture officials emphasize that the guidelines are non-binding, and a local industry contact dismissed them as a purely political gesture in response to pressure from local legislators and their constituents (especially local chambers of commerce and small business associations). In fact, Kumamoto officials assure post that they welcome large retailers as a boost to the local economy, even though they are hesitant to say so publicly. The floor space of large suburban stores opened since 1995 already surpasses that of central Kumamoto retailers, and Japanese chain Aeon plans a new "mega store" in the area this fall. COMMENT ¶8. (SBU) While some of the most vocal advocates of restrictions on large suburban stores are often downtown small business owners, the true position of these owners is more complex. A retail industry contact in Miyazaki told post that small retailers may publicly voice concerns, but many of the owners live in the suburbs and regularly shop at the large stores they are protesting against. Aging family owners of many small shops have no successors to carry on the business, and their own tight financial situation drives them to shop at big discount retailers. As KERC's study shows, simply imposing limitations on suburban stores will do little for urban revitalization in the face of these wider trends in Japanese society. Rather, a paradigm shift in the nature of urban centers will be necessary. End comment. WONG