Discussing the future of Hokuryu Town! Town planning discussion meeting launched by Hekisui Neighborhood Association

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Town Development Discussion Group/Hekisui Neighborhood Association

A town development discussion meeting was held at the Hekisui Ikigai Center from 5:30 pm on Wednesday, August 20th. Approximately 20 town residents gathered and actively exchanged opinions.

At the meeting, explanations were given about changes to local government policies and systems, such as budget execution and organizational reform for fiscal 2025, and the expansion of the budget for Regional Revitalization 2.0. Reports were also given on the success of the Sunflower Festival, new initiatives regarding parking fees, and experiments using AI to measure visitor numbers.

Moderator: Deputy Mayor Masaaki Okuda

Greetings from Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki

"It's O-ban.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who took the time to come, including the Takeuchi Neighborhood Association Chairman, to gather at a time that is difficult to do at 5:30 in the evening.

Preparations for harvesting both glutinous and non-glutinous rice are underway, so I imagine you must be busy. Thank you very much.

I would like to take the time today to explain the fiscal year 2025 projects that have been underway since April.

There has been organizational reform, and the Town Future Strategy Division is now in charge. There have been many changes.

The national budget is moving in various directions, and we are now in an era where if we remain silent, we will not receive any money from the government.

In order to respond to various issues, we have identified our departments and made changes so that we can respond to the various opinions of our townspeople.

The main point is that as the General Policy Office, we aim to bring together each department as a whole and ensure that the wishes of the townspeople are aligned with the budget.

The main theme of the project is "Regional Revitalization 2.0." Prime Minister Ishiba has been working on regional revitalization for the past 10 years, but he felt that "it hasn't been effective. The regions aren't shining brightly," so he increased the budget from 100 billion yen to 200 billion yen this year.

I will be explaining various things to you from now on, but I will make sure to convey them clearly, listen carefully to your opinions, put them into shape, and respond appropriately.

The event will run until 7pm today, and we look forward to hearing many of your opinions.

Finally, the Sunflower Festival was successfully completed from July 20th to August 18th. This year, we decided to charge parking fees. We have been discussing parking fees for the past 20 years.

I think I have caused you all a lot of trouble in many ways, and I will talk about that later.

We have also begun experimenting with using AI to count the number of visitors, using facial recognition and other methods to get a real count.

This will give us a sense of how much of a sunflower effect there is.

Today, the first "Town Development Discussion Meeting" will start with the Aomizu Neighborhood Association, and tomorrow it will be held with the Wa Neighborhood Association, and the day after tomorrow with the Mibaushi Neighborhood Association.

We look forward to your continued support," said Mayor Sasaki.

Overview given by Katsuyoshi Takahashi, Director General of the Policy Office

Explanation of the promotion of regional revitalization

An explanation was given about the basic policy of Hokuryu Town's comprehensive strategy for creating towns, people, and jobs, the new local economy and living environment creation grant (second generation grant), the "seven pillars" of the project "Himawari Holdings," and the project costs for fiscal year 2025.

Explanation from Yayoi Kawamoto, Director of the Town Future Strategy Division

The following businesses were explained:

1. About "Hometown Tax" and "Regional Public Transportation" (City Future Strategy Division)
2. Regarding "Writing-free Window (Digitalization of Local Government Window)" and "Multi-layered Support System Development Project" (Children's Life Support Division)
3. Regarding "Bird and Animal Damage Prevention Measures" and "Sunflower Village Management" (Industry Division)
4. Regarding "Formulation of management strategies for water and sewerage accounting" and "Construction of a snow removal center and bus garage" (Construction Division)
5. Regarding the holding of the "Hokuryu Town Comprehensive Learning and Exchange Center (tentative name)," "Online Public Cram School," "New School Creation Workshop," and preparation for application for "Special Curriculum School" (Board of Education)

exchange of opinions

Based on feedback from the field, measures to address current issues such as parking fees, area management, budget situation, wildlife management, creating a vision for the future of agricultural promotion, and the format of neighborhood association meetings were discussed.

Discussions also included how to manage garbage stations in Kitaryū Town, snow removal measures, and the problem of vacant houses, and called for consideration of measures to address the situation of local residents and volunteers, financial issues, and the impact of an aging population and declining number of households.

1. Removal of convex mirrors

• [Questions/Requests]
  Is it okay to remove the convex mirror near Takeuchi Bridge?
• 【answer】
  Yes, there is no problem with removing it. The local government will take immediate action.

2. Garbage Station Management

• [Questions/Requests]
  The local garbage station is currently managed by volunteers, but as the managers age, there is concern that in the future it will become difficult to manage and there will be no one left to do it.
• [Answer/Discussion]
  The garbage stations were originally set up at the request of local residents. We are aware that local management is becoming more difficult due to an aging and declining population. This is not just a matter of money, so we view it as a comprehensive issue for the region, just like snow removal issues. Going forward, the government will consider what measures and support it can provide, including securing financial resources.

3. Dealing with dangerous vacant houses

• [Questions/Requests]
  Regarding the dangerous vacant houses that have been pointed out before, we need to take action before an accident occurs. If the owners do not take action, we should consider "administrative execution" by the government to forcibly demolish them.
• [Answer/Discussion]
  Regarding the vacant house you mentioned, the local government is also taking action. As a last resort, we are considering "administrative execution," in which the local government would demolish the property on behalf of the owner. However, there are legal procedures to follow, and it is expected to take about a year before this can be carried out, including notifying the owner. We are aware of the dangerous situation and will do our best to respond as soon as possible.

With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the Town Development Forum, which encourages lively exchanges of opinions between the government and townspeople, working together to promote collaborative town development.

More Photos

Photos (19 photos) from the Town Development Discussion Meeting and Hekisui Neighborhood Association are here >>

◇ ◇ Photography, editing and website management: Noboru Terauchi Writer: Ikuko Terauchi