My hometown is Omuta in Fukuoka prefecture, which presently has a population of around 135,000 people, which is a decrease of 20% compared to the population 25 years ago when I left to go University. As Omuta is very famous for “Mitsui-Miike Labor Dispute in 1959-1960”, it is home of the Miike coal mine, which historically did much to contribute to obtaining foreign money of Japan, and post war contributed greatly to the reconstruction of Japan through the supplying of energy. In addition, the Mitsui Miike coal promoted the development of the chemical industry in the town of Omuta.
In my youth, the Omuta river into which directly flows the waste fluid from these chemical plants was known as the most polluted river in the world. Strange as it may sound now, this was actually a source of pride in the area, as it symbolized the prosperity and economic development of the area. Now the river runs clean and fish once more swim in it, the decrease in pollution marking the wider economic slump of the region.
Not only in Omuta but also in many other rural cities, the center of town is dotted with shuttered-up shops and many premises are up for sale. The effects of population decrease are clear to be seen. Currently the largest industry in Omuta is related to "the old person". Nursing services for retirees, paid for by State pensions. Whereas 50 years ago Omuta was at the center of national economic activity, the town is a shadow of it’s former self, reliant on money form the state, both directly via subsidies and indirectly through the pensions of its aging populace.
Omuta is nowadays a town in decline, but just what is decline? It is easy to answer this question, as population decreases industry declines; and along with that declines of the quantity of the circulating funds, goods and information.
However decline in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, due to the actions of government institutions and labor unions the speed of decline is slowed down, city run services and the tertiary sector suffer only temporary decline － resulting in a level of services available to the local citizenry at a level higher than big cities like Tokyo, when analyzed in per-capita terms.
For example you won’t need to book in advance to see a movie and queues are non-existent at public offices. Furthermore, problems (which in times past might have existed) relating to the supply of goods and access to up-to-date information are easy to overcome thanks to the development of logistics systems such as the Internet and modern parcel delivery services. In many ways life in rural cities has surpassed that in larger metropolises. While big cities such as Tokyo and Yokohama may be more pleasing to the eye, I would question their livability if they are nothing more than “Beautiful slums”.
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