JIRO Local, Now

Hello~ this is JIRO~^^! On March 25, JIRO attended the “Conference on Enhancing Metropolitan Governance for Sustainable Urban Models” held in Daejeon. Mokwon University Concert Hall, where the conference was held. Enhancing Metropolitan Governance for Sustainable Urban Models Date & Time | March 25, 2026 (Wed) 13:30–17:00 Venue | Mokwon University Concert Hall, Daejeon Hosts | Daejeon Metropolitan City, Daejeon Urban Regeneration Support Center, Mokwon University, Korea Urban Regeneration Society At the conference, discussions focused on what changes are needed for Korea’s urban regeneration projects— which have grown significantly in scale over the past few years— to become truly sustainable. Rather than focusing solely on physical redevelopment, the sessions explored broader perspectives on the long-term sustainability of cities, featuring both presentations and in-depth discussions. While the conference offered valuable insights overall, there were also a few aspects that fe...

Hello, this is Jiro. I hope you’ve all been doing well. Lately, both Japan and Korea have been hearing the term “regional decline” more and more often. As young people leave for cities in search of jobs and education, many local communities are slowly losing their energy and momentum. How should we make sense of this reality, and what direction should regions take in the years ahead? To explore these questions, we sat down with Professor Nobuo Akai, a leading scholar who has spent many years researching local public finance and decentralization in Japan. Professor Nobuo Akai (Osaka University) Name : Nobuo Akai Affiliation : Osaka University Areas of Expertise : Public Economics, Decentralization