Taking the Goki-Shichido (Five Home Provinces and Seven Circuits of Ancient Japan) as a
theoretical framework this book examines shrinking Japan from a regional variation perspective
by municipality along the ancient Tokaido which comprises 15 provinces and seven prefectures
today. The study identifies the principal explanatory factors based on the small area data of
e-Stat through GPS statistical software tools such as G-census and EvaCva within a historical
perspective. This historical knowledge helps in understanding the significance of the regional
cultural heritage that remains in each municipality today. The book pays special attention to
municipal variations within the same prefecture presenting a completely unique approach from
what other researchers have pursued. This volume studies two present-day prefectures along the
ancient Tokaido for detailed analyses of the impacts of regional variations of population
decline in Japan. They are Shizuoka Prefecture made up of the former Tootoumi Suruga and Izu
provinces and Mie Prefecture formed by the ancient provinces of Iga Ise Shima and the
eastern part of Kii as examples to show the impacts of municipal power on regional variations
of shrinking Japan. The reasons for selecting these two prefectures of the ancient Tokaido are
twofold. First they are made up of a multiple number of the ancient provinces. Second other
prefectures that fall under the Tokaido have been studied in the previous works of the present
author by adopting the same methods of analyses. Thus by presenting unique analyses of
regional variations on small municipal levels with demographic variables social indicators
and historical identities of municipalities in Shizuoka and Mie prefectures along the Tokaido
this book offers suggestions for effective regional policy to revitalize shrinking Japan to a
sustainable one.
