Registering as a “hometown resident” with an app… Will the “hometown resident registration system,” a key initiative of the Ishiba administration, revitalize local communities?

Hometown Residents, App Registration…What on earth do they want and for what purpose?

On June 13, the Cabinet approved the basic concept of “Local Region Creation 2.0,” a key policy of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

According to the outline released by the government, Local Region Creation 1.0 for the 10 years from 2002 was “an effort to halt the decline in population,” whereas Local Region Creation 2.0 “will take measures to adapt to a functioning society and economy by facing up to the decline in population.

In other words, the government has given up on the idea of “halting the decline in population” and is instead taking measures to adapt. What, then, is the goal of Regional Development 2.0?

What is more, the Ishiba administration has proposed a “hometown resident registration system” as the centerpiece of 2.0, which is supposed to “create a new flow of people between urban and rural areas by taking advantage of the ‘related population'” and which seems like deja vu.

According to data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, people who want to be continuously involved in a municipality other than their place of residence register with the local government as “hometown residents” via an application. The local government issues a registration card and provides local information and administrative services to those who become Furusato Residents.

What on earth is the purpose and what do they want to do? …… is also not clear. To begin with, what is a “related population”?

The concept of “related population” was first clearly stated by the government in 2006. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ “Relevant Population Creation Project” states that it is “neither the ‘settled population’ who have moved to a new area nor the ‘exchange population’ who have come for tourism, but those who are involved in a variety of ways with the local community and local people.

The government seems to be aiming to visualize the “related population” in order to revitalize local economies and secure local leaders, and is working to build a system that will serve as a platform, for example by making it easy to register using a dedicated application.

However, a similar system already exists. In 2003, when Prime Minister Ishiba was minister in charge of regional development, a private policy think tank, “Concept Japan,” jointly proposed the “Furusato Resident Registration System” with eight local governments across Japan. The system is currently in operation in 12 municipalities across the country, mainly targeting people who are from local municipalities, people who have paid taxes to their hometowns, and people who have lived in more than one area.

If such a precedent exists, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) must have held hearings on the subject (……). However, Mr. Shin Ito, general director of “Concept Japan,” unexpectedly responded, “According to the MIC’s data, the ‘Furusato Resident Vote’ is a system that allows people who live in a certain area to vote for their hometown.

I think they have been looking into it, ” said Mr . Ito. We are talking with the MIC now, but we were never consulted or asked for our opinion before the government announced the basic concept.”

So, how does Mr. Ito view the “Furusato Resident Registration System” proposed by the government?

I believe that the government’s philosophy of making the most of the related population and expanding it is almost the same as what “Concept Japan” has been trying to achieve.

With the population declining nationwide, if we focus only on immigration policy, municipalities may end up competing with each other for population. Of course, both immigrants and those who come for tourism are important, but this time the program focuses on the related population, who are involved in and support cities and towns that are not their own places of residence in their own ways. I feel that this is an important point.

What exactly do you mean by “related population” in terms of the kinds of people who are involved?

I feel that it is very difficult to define the “relevant population” and it inevitably becomes abstract.

I am from Honbetsu, a town in Tokachi, Hokkaido with a population of 6,000. It has been about 30 years since I left my parents’ home, but I love Honbetsu and want to support it in some way. I am definitely a concerned population of Honbetsu.

I am now involved in a lot of work with the local government, and I sometimes speak at town hall staff training sessions when I return home to my parents. Last month I returned home with a request to speak to small and medium-sized businesses.

There are ways to get involved by utilizing the strengths and specialized skills of these jobs, and there are also ways to get involved physically, such as by participating in volunteer activities. Or, they actively purchase the town’s specialties and contribute with their money. I think there are many different ways and concentrations of involvement, even when we talk about the “related population.

The most common destination of the “related population” is probably “my hometown.

In terms of hometown residents in municipalities that operate a hometown resident registration system, there are many municipalities where people from their hometowns are registered, but there are also many people who fell in love with their hometowns because they became involved in their work.

It doesn’t necessarily match the needs of those who want to be involved.”

However, 10 years after the launch of the Furusato Residents’ Register, both the number of municipalities introducing the system and the number of registered Furusato residents have been sluggish, and the way both parties are involved in the system has become a formality. The Furusato Residents’ Register faces challenges,” Ito reveals.

The Furusato Residents’ Register does not always successfully connect people who want to support their favorite towns and municipalities that want to increase the number of related residents. I feel that the Furusato Residents’ Cards have not yet become a means to realize our philosophy.

What kind of benefits and services the 12 municipalities currently in operation provide to those who become Furusato Residents are often conventional things such as “delivery of PR magazines by e-mail,” “use of public facilities at residents’ rates,” and “invitations to participate in festivals and traditional events. They do not necessarily match the needs of the population concerned.”

At present, the total number of registered Furusato residents in 12 municipalities is about 7,000.

On the other hand, the government, which launched the hometown resident registration system, has set a target of 10 million people to be registered over the next 10 years.

I think it is better not to focus only on the number of people involved.

In local towns and villages, there is a shortage of human resources to serve as leaders in government offices, businesses, residents’ organizations, and local communities. There may be towns that believe that how the people who become hometown residents get involved is more important than simply increasing the number of people involved. If hometown residents can become a powerful force, even if it is only two or three people, it would be beneficial to the municipality.

Therefore, I think it is desirable to have a system based on the idea that the local government should actively involve the hometown residents in what the government cannot do, not on what kind of services the local government can provide to the hometown residents. Many hometown residents also want to be useful in some way. I think it is also necessary for the local government to have a mechanism to understand the thoughts and feelings of the hometown residents toward the municipality.

Concept Japan has 10 years of accumulated experience in both successes and failures. As a pioneer in this field, I would like to provide information to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

We would like to make a proposal to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, saying, “This is what we should do,” rather than just providing information.

For example, Hino Town in Tottori Prefecture is inviting public comments from hometown residents, and Sanakawachi Village in Tokushima Prefecture is preparing a post for a “regional development support person.

It is up to the local government to decide what kind of ‘opportunities to get involved’ and ‘places for activities’ to offer to hometown residents. For example, there is no need for the government to indicate uniformly that “a public relations magazine should be sent” and so on.

I think the role of the government is to develop the infrastructure, including the application, so that each municipality can freely operate the system with their own ingenuity.

Municipalities,” “locals,” and “hometown residents”: Can a Win-Win Relationship Be Established?

In local development policies, the “dependence on consultants” by local governments to formulate plans has been seen as a problem. Municipalities decide on the content of the hometown resident registration system and operate the system developed by the national government, but is there a possibility of outsourcing to consultants or vendors?

I am also aware of the problem that many municipalities have entrusted the creation of comprehensive strategies requested by the national government to consultants. This must be eliminated.

However, although it has been decided that digital tools will be utilized, it is not yet time to start designing the system. I hope the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will make an effort to communicate with local governments and understand their views on the frontlines.”

Whether or not local governments utilize the Furusato Resident Registration System as a means of acquiring the relevant population to become the “workforce” that Mr. Ito refers to may depend on the design of the system.

If there is no need for the system, we will have the courage to discontinue it. Once the system has been launched, the government should forcefully promote it as anything else, because that is the worst pattern.

However, after the national government announced the basic concept, we talked with the mayors of municipalities, and they all seem to see more than a little potential in using digital tools such as apps for the hometown resident registration system. There is no doubt that some municipalities are open to introducing the system.”

Certainly, it would be easier to register if it were an app.

For example, it may be possible to link the system to a highly used application such as LINE, or to the MyNaportal operated by the government. If the application improves the convenience of the system, it would be a benefit to the hometown residents.

However, considering only the benefits for hometown residents may lead to a service battle among local governments. What is still important is for municipalities to clarify their needs and how they want hometown residents to be involved.

In this sense, the government may be required to build a system that is easily customized to meet the needs of individual municipalities.”

The Basic Concept for Local Region Creation 2.0 shifts the premise of the concept from the reflection that “Local Region Creation 1.0 focused on the promotion of migration to stem the decline in the local population, leading to competition among municipalities for population,” to “accepting the decline in population head on and aiming to revitalize local regions by taking advantage of the population involved. The government will formulate a “comprehensive strategy” by the end of this year, covering the next 10 years.

I have always felt, when working with local governments, that people involved in public administration tend to view population decline in a negative light. Even if the population is decreasing, if the residents are satisfied with their lives and have a sense of happiness, it should be a good town.

However, in order to create a town where local residents can feel happy, human resources are necessary. I feel that a related population with wisdom, skills, and attachment to the municipality will be a great help in this regard.

This will benefit the local government, make local residents feel appreciated, and improve the satisfaction level of those who want to be involved. Perhaps it would be good if such a win-win relationship could be built through the hometown resident registration system.”

Shin Ito is the general director of Concept Japan and a counselor of the Digital Agency. After graduating from Doshisha University Faculty of Law, he worked as a secretary to a Diet member before joining the staff of Concept Japan in 2005. In 2009, he became a counselor at the Secretariat of the Government Revitalization Unit of the Cabinet Office. Returned to Conceptual Japan in ’13 and became general director. From ’20, he has been a policy counselor in the Cabinet Office, supporting Minister of Vaccine Affairs Taro Kono.’ Counselor to the Digital Agency since 2010.