Ministry of Construction

A national administrative agency established by the Ministry of Construction Establishment Act based on the National Administrative Organization Act. In July 1948, the Construction Agency absorbed the Ministry of Transport's Construction Headquarters and was promoted to a ministry. In January 2001, following the reorganization of central government ministries and agencies, the Agency was reorganized and merged with the Ministry of Transport, the National Land Agency, and the Hokkaido Regional Development Agency to form the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The Ministry of Construction was responsible for a wide range of administrative affairs, including national land development (including conservation), disaster prevention, living environment improvement, industrial infrastructure development, and economic activity regulation. Specific duties and powers included research and planning of national and regional plans, land surveying and map adjustment, maintenance and conservation of rivers and roads, management of affairs related to urban planning and urban planning projects, implementation of urban planning projects, land readjustment and urban redevelopment, outdoor advertisements, urban green space conservation and productive green spaces, sewerage, coasts, rivers, canals, erosion control and flood control, public water surface reclamation, construction of new roads, research and planning related to housing land supply and land development, housing and construction, land use and expropriation, government maintenance, as well as supervision of the work of the Metropolitan Expressway Public Corporation, Regional Development Corporation, Japan Highway Public Corporation, Japan Housing Loan Corporation (now Japan Housing Finance Agency), Urban Development Corporation (now Urban Renaissance Agency), Japan Workers' Housing Association, and many more.

The head of the ministry was the Minister of Construction, and the internal bureaus included the Minister's Secretariat, the Construction Economy Bureau, the Urban Affairs Bureau, the River Bureau, the Road Bureau, and the Housing Bureau.In addition, councils (including those based on government ordinances) included the Central Council for Urban Planning, the Housing and Land Council, the River Council, and the Public Land Council, while the facilities and other organizations included the Public Works Research Institute, the Building Research Institute, and the College of Construction, and the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan as a special organization.In addition, eight regional construction bureaus were established as regional branch bureaus, with construction offices and local offices as their branch offices.

Since 2001, the Ministry of Construction has been reorganized as follows. With regard to internal bureaus, the functions of the Minister's Secretariat have been transferred to the Minister's Secretariat of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Construction Economic Bureau to the Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Urban Bureau to the Urban and Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the River Bureau, Road Bureau and Housing Bureau to the River Bureau, Road Bureau and Housing Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. With regard to facilities and other organizations, the Public Works Research Institute and the Building Research Institute have been transferred to the Public Works Research Institute and the Building Research Institute of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, respectively, and the Construction College was integrated with the Ministry of Transport's Transport Training Institute and transferred to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's College of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Policy Research Institute for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, respectively. With regard to special organizations, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan has been transferred as it is as a special organization of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. With regard to councils, etc., the Central Council for Urban Planning, the River Council, the Public Land Council, etc. have been transferred to the Council for Social Capital Development, which is a council of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Regarding local branch offices, the Regional Construction Bureaus were merged with the Ministry of Transport's Port Construction Bureau and reorganized as the Regional Development Bureaus of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

[Toshiro Fuka and Kengo Yamada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

国家行政組織法に基づき、建設省設置法によって設置された国の行政機関。1948年（昭和23）7月、建設院が運輸省建設本部を吸収、省に昇格したが、2001年（平成13）1月の中央省庁再編に伴い、運輸省、国土庁、北海道開発庁とともに国土交通省に再編統合された。

　建設省は、総じて国土開発（保全を含む）と災害防止、生活環境整備、産業基盤整備と経済活動の規制など、幅広い行政を担当していた。具体的な任務や権限としては、国土計画・地方計画の調査・立案、土地の測量・地図の調整、河川・道路の維持・保全、都市計画および都市計画事業に関する事務の管理ならびに都市計画事業の実施、土地区画整理・都市再開発など、屋外広告物・都市緑地保全・生産緑地など、下水道、海岸・河川・運河、砂防・水防、公有水面埋立て、道路の新設など、宅地供給・宅地造成に関する調査・企画など、住宅・建築、土地の使用・収用、官庁営繕などに加え、首都高速道路公団、地域振興整備公団、日本道路公団、住宅金融公庫（現、住宅金融支援機構）、都市基盤整備公団（現、都市再生機構）、日本勤労者住宅協会などの業務の監督など、多岐にわたっていた。

　長は建設大臣であり、内部部局として、大臣官房のほか、建設経済局、都市局、河川局、道路局、住宅局が置かれた。また、審議会（政令に基づくものを含む）として、都市計画中央審議会、住宅宅地審議会、河川審議会、公共用地審議会など、施設等機関として土木研究所、建築研究所、建設大学校が、特別の機関として国土地理院が置かれていた。なお、地方支分部局として、八つの地方建設局が置かれ、その出先機関として工事事務所・出張所も置かれていた。

　2001年以降、建設省の組織については次のように再編された。内部部局に関して、大臣官房の有する機能は、国土交通省の大臣官房に、建設経済局については国土交通省の総合政策局に、都市局については国土交通省の都市・地域整備局に、河川局・道路局・住宅局については、国土交通省の河川局・道路局・住宅局に引き継がれた。施設等機関に関しては、土木研究所と建築研究所が国土交通省の土木研究所、建築研究所にそれぞれ引き継がれ、建設大学校は運輸省の運輸研修所と統合され、国土交通省の国土交通大学校および国土交通政策研究所にそれぞれ引き継がれた。特別の機関に関しては、国土地理院はそのまま国土交通省の特別の機関として引き継がれた。審議会等に関しては、都市計画中央審議会、河川審議会、公共用地審議会等については、国土交通省の審議会等である社会資本整備審議会に引き継がれることとなった。地方支分部局に関しては、地方建設局が運輸省の港湾建設局と統合され、国土交通省の地方整備局として再編された。

［福家俊朗・山田健吾］

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