Drafting Japan’s New 5-Year Road Improvement and Management Program A New Approach

In Japan, a public-involvement approach (PI Approach) was adopted for the new 5-year road improvement and management program that was approved by the Prime Minister’s cabinet in May 1998, with a view to reflecting increasingly diverse public opinion in the program. The program was based on a proposal by the Road Council and reflected the opinions of approximately 130,000 people, in addition to the vision and recommendations submitted by local business communities and regional requests concerning the program. The proposal of the Road Council was produced by means of dialogues with the general public. People’s opinions were collected via The Kick-Off Report, The Voice Report, and The Interim Report. The PI Approach was adopted in a policy-making process at the national level for the first time. The process is described, along with results of communication with the general public leading up to the formation of the new 5-year road improvement and management program. Also discussed are the end products of each phase: The KickOff Report, The Voice Report, The Interim Report, the Road Council proposal, and The New 5-Year Road Improvement and Management Program.