Engaging and Generating Islands: Hokkaido after World War II

The pioneering of Hokkaido in the 19th century was aimed at acquiring the resources necessary for modernization and industrialization of the Japanese mainland. During World War I and II, the Japanese government’s interest in Hokkaido weakened, but when overseas colonies were lost after World War II, the Japanese government once again actively began to develop Hokkaido. The Japanese government sought to improve Hokkaido’s lagging infrastructure by investing more budget in Hokkaido than in other regions. The purpose of such a policy was to close the regional gap, but more importantly, to build Hokkaido, which contributed to the mainland. As a result, however, Hokkaido has gotten a socio-economic system that relies excessively on the mainland, and politicians in Hokkaido have become more eager to win central government budgets than to offer prospects for independent system. Under such a structure, Hokkaido failed to lay a proper industrial foundation and the collapse of the real estate bubble caused the bankruptcy of Hokkaido’s largest bank in the 1990s. In the 2000s, Hokkaido was gradually shrinking, with its population decreasing and growth slowing. However, the current situation in Hokkaido is not just gloomy. This is because the movement to seek an alternative future is in full swing as it is clear that the growth-oriented development strategy that has gripped Hokkaido is no longer possible.