Project _

Development and prospects of the northern Kyushu region

Future image of Higashimatsuura, Karatsu, and Taku

The Japanese side of the Japan-Korea tunnel will be served by Karatsu City, Taku City, and Fukuoka City on the Higashimatsuura Peninsula in northern Kyushu, and Tosu City, which connects Fukuoka and Taku at right angles, and the area centered on these four cities. The Japan-side entrance to the Japan-Korea tunnel will be supported at four points. These four urban areas are roughly rectangular. While looking at these physical connections, I would like to provide an overview of each region's history, topography, culture, industry, etc. Of the four urban areas, Fukuoka City, which has not been directly affected by the tunnel and is growing as a large city, will be excluded from the analysis, and will remain as the mother city of the other three areas.

Genkai Coastal Resort Concept

The Karatsu/Higashi Matsuura area is the gateway to the Japan-Korea tunnel.
 
This area has had contact with the continent since ancient times, and was a point of contact with continental culture. At the same time, like Tsushima and Iki, it has been exposed to the danger of attacks from foreign enemies such as Mongol invaders. It served as a base for Toyotomi Hideyoshi when he dispatched troops to Korea, and the Nagoya Castle Ruins are the ruins of this. During the Middle Ages, the Matsuura party gained power, and after the Tokugawa shogunate, it entered the Meiji period as a territory of the Nabeshima domain, which was mostly Tozama. Although the Karatsu domain is a small domain, its feudal lords frequently change, and it has a different ethos from the Ariake Sea side, which has fostered the strong personality of Karatsu today. The entire coastline is a ria coastline with many people coming in and out, and is blessed with beautiful scenery and is included in Genkai Quasi-National Park. The course connecting Saikai National Park and Unzen to Sasebo, and Karatsu to Fukuoka is an international tourist route. The northern and western parts of the Higashimatsuura Peninsula are surrounded by a ria coastline, and the interior of the peninsula is a wavy tableland called ``Plateau''. The climate is warm, there is little rainfall, and there are few rivers. The industry is centered on upland farming, and Hizen, Genkai, and Chinzei towns are particularly dependent on it. There are many small-scale farmers, and land productivity is low. Industries include the food industry, general materials and equipment manufacturing, and wood products. Karatsu City dominates the local industry. The fishing industry is most flourishing in Yobuko Town, which has a fishing port, and relies on coastal fishing, including purse seine, gaguri seine, small bottom trawling, trawling, and sardine fishing. In recent years, farming of pearls, yellowtail, sea bream, abalone, and sea urchin has become popular. Higashimatsuura Peninsula has many excavated artifacts such as stone tools, earthenware, and old pots, showing traces of our ancestors dating back to the Jomon period, and many legends and romances have been passed down. According to the ``Gishi Wajinden'', the ``Latest Lu Kingdom'' was formed in the 3rd century. However, as modern times progressed, the peninsula's characteristic of being a dead end for transportation meant that it was left behind in economic and social development. However, thanks to its peninsular nature, it has not been swept away by the waves of development and has a beautiful coastline and undeveloped islands.

 

After the Japan-Korea Tunnel opens, those constraints will be reversed.
 
Since it will be the gateway to the continent, it will be possible to take advantage of its resort properties and develop it as an international resort zone. Karatsu City is developing as an industrial city by making use of the ancient pottery tradition of Karatsu ware. Pottery is about to be reborn as a new ceramics industry. It is also blessed with resources as a resort tourist city. Together with the Higashimatsuura area, it will be positioned as a ``Genkai Coastal Resort.'' The future plan is to develop the Yobuko-Chinzei zone, which is located directly under the entrance to the Japan-Korea tunnel, into a world-class resort base with an ultra-luxury marina. A mooring port will be provided for large cruisers, yachts, and motor boats. On Kabe Island, a villa area is formed with groups of chalk buildings similar to those found on the coasts and islands of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas in Europe. These high-class villa areas will form resorts that can accommodate not only Japanese people, but also people from East Asia, Europe, and America. Three to four-story condominiums will be built around the marina, creating a marine shopping zone.

 

Additionally, detached villas will be built throughout the scenic coastal and inland areas. The terrain of Higashimatsuura Peninsula is gently undulating, making it suitable for golf courses. Mountain forests and some farmland will be converted into golf courses in several locations. Adjacent to it, there will also be tennis courts, a swimming pool, and an aerobics center.

Taku-Tosu Silicon Valley Concept

Taku City is located in the center of Saga Prefecture, in a basin surrounded by mountains of the Chikushi Mountains that are approximately 300 to 1,000 meters high. Rivers originating from the surrounding mountains flow into the Taku River, which flows through the center of the city. Orange cultivation is popular at the foot of the mountain. Taku's history is that it prospered as a coal mine before the Meiji Restoration, and the Karatsu Line was opened early on, and it developed rapidly in the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods. However, since the coal mines closed, the population has decreased dramatically, and the city is trying to transform itself into a rural industrial city that focuses on farming at the foot of the mountains and using the former coal mine sites. With the completion of the Kyushu Crossroad and the construction of an interchange on the outskirts of Taku City, it became the gateway to the central part of the prefecture. This holds the key to the city's development into the 21st century. The Confucius Temple is the oldest existing Confucius temple in the world and has been designated as an important national cultural property. It has been a place of education and education since ancient times, and has the potential to develop as a ``research university city'' in the future.

 
 


*Tosu Interchange (IC), a key strategic point in Kyushu

Tosu City is the eastern gateway to Saga Prefecture. Bordering Fukuoka Prefecture, it is the junction of JR Kyushu's Nagasaki Main Line and Kagoshima Main Line, and has been an important transportation point since the era of the Ritsuryo system. In recent years, it has become one of the largest interchanges in Japan for the Kyushu Expressway, making it the most important land transportation hub in Kyushu. Thanks to its good transportation location, Tosu City has a thriving industry and boasts the highest amount of industrial shipments in the prefecture, surpassing Saga City. Together with neighboring Kurume City, it has been designated as the "Kurume-Tosu Technopolis" and aims to develop as one of Kyushu's leading new industrial areas.

 

Since East Asia is also a Confucian cultural area, why not create an ``International Confucian University'' or ``Confucius University'' in Taku and make it an international Mecca for Confucianism? The school will have three faculties: the Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Political Science, Faculty of Humanities, and Faculty of Production Science, and will carry out community development through industry-academia collaboration. We are recruiting from a wide range of students as well as from the East Asian region.

 

Once the Japan-Korea Tunnel opens, Taku City will become the connecting point with the Kyushu Crossroads.
 
This area is blessed with a mild climate because the mountain system blocks the cold winds from the Sea of ​​Japan. The area connecting Taku and Tosu will attract factories and research institutes for cutting-edge industries, creating a Taku-Tosu Silicon Valley that will rival California's Silicon Valley in the United States. In the surrounding area, industrial-related housing, sports facilities, and resort-style housing will be located in zones close to work and residence. The Yoshinogari ruins, which are said to be the ancient capital of Yamataikoku, are important ruins in tracing the roots of Japanese culture. The Yamataikoku History Museum will be built here to introduce Japan's ancient culture. The impact and effects of the Japan-Korea tunnel connecting Tsushima, Iki, and northern Kyushu are immeasurable. This region needs to be developed in an integrated manner as the base square of East Asia (the receiving base of the quadrupolar structure). It would be necessary to create a master plan that would be equivalent to a national land plan for the entire Kyushu region. With the completion of the Japan-Korea Tunnel, this area will become a major hub for international exchange connecting Japan and Asia, just as Kitakyushu was in ancient times. In particular, East Asia is the most dynamic region in the 21st century, and the key to its economic growth is economic and technological exchange with Japan. However, there is still something missing. Since the Meiji Restoration, Japan has been leaving Asia and entering Europe for a long time, and is now entering a new era of leaving Europe and entering Asia.

  • Development and prospects of the northern Kyushu region

  • Overview of the Japan-Korea tunnel

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