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The land reclamation project of Lake Nakaumi started in 1955. This project has two purposes. One is to reclaim five blocks (2,542 hectares) of agricultual land from Lake Nakaumi. The Honjo block with about 1,700 hectares is the largest of the five. The other is to alter the two brackish lakes, Lake Nakaumi and Lake Shinji, into freshwater lakes for agricultual water supply. Local environmental movements started to oppose the project and became so strong that it had to be suspended in 1988. The conversion into freshwater lakes was actually stopped. But a part of the project, the reclamation of the Honjo block, was not stopped. The Administration made three plans to resume the project in quick succession until the end of 1995. Now a conprehensive survey is carried on. In 1988, when the Administration decided to stop making freshwater lakes indefinitely, the project lost its overall concept. The reclamation of the Honjo block was treated as a separate project. This made the plan inconsistent and created new opposition movements. There exists a gap between the "official" concerned groups that are identified in the plan and the people concerned in reality. And this is one of the defects of the planning process. There are two opposing visions about the Honjo block in Lake Nakaumi. One is the opinion of the Administration and the local economic circles. They consider the new land of Honjo block as a base to create a new urban core in the San-in region. The other is the opinion of the opponents. They consider Honjo block as an indispensable part of Lake Nakaumi, which was rich in brackish fish and shellfish before the original project started. The environmental movements show another vision of lake use and an alternative way of regional developement. They have never opposed the project only to oppose the Administration. Local environmental movements cannot directly change the planning system of regional development in Japan. But they play an uninstitutional role in making up the defects of the planning system. They can disclose various informations about a project, assess the effects on the environment and propose an alternative way of regional development. But this role is not sufficiently recognized and these movements are not institutionally integrated in the planning system at all.

The land reclamation project of Lake Nakaumi started in 1955. This project has two purposes. One is to reclaim five blocks (2,542 hectares) of agricultual land from Lake Nakaumi. The Honjo block with about 1,700 hectares is the largest of the five. The other is to alter the two brackish lakes, Lake Nakaumi and Lake Shinji, into freshwater lakes for agricultual water supply. Local environmental movements started to oppose the project and became so strong that it had to be suspended in 1988. The conversion into freshwater lakes was actually stopped. But a part of the project, the reclamation of the Honjo block, was not stopped. The Administration made three plans to resume the project in quick succession until the end of 1995. Now a conprehensive survey is carried on. In 1988, when the Administration decided to stop making freshwater lakes indefinitely, the project lost its overall concept. The reclamation of the Honjo block was treated as a separate project. This made the plan inconsistent and created new opposition movements. There exists a gap between the "official" concerned groups that are identified in the plan and the people concerned in reality. And this is one of the defects of the planning process. There are two opposing visions about the Honjo block in Lake Nakaumi. One is the opinion of the Administration and the local economic circles. They consider the new land of Honjo block as a base to create a new urban core in the San-in region. The other is the opinion of the opponents. They consider Honjo block as an indispensable part of Lake Nakaumi, which was rich in brackish fish and shellfish before the original project started. The environmental movements show another vision of lake use and an alternative way of regional developement. They have never opposed the project only to oppose the Administration. Local environmental movements cannot directly change the planning system of regional development in Japan. But they play an uninstitutional role in making up the defects of the planning system. They can disclose various informations about a project, assess the effects on the environment and propose an alternative way of regional development. But this role is not sufficiently recognized and these movements are not institutionally integrated in the planning system at all.