National Land Agency

A national administrative agency established in 1974 (Showa 49) under the National Land Agency Establishment Act as an external bureau of the former Prime Minister's Office. Initially conceived as the National Comprehensive Development Agency, the word "development" was deleted when the 1974 National Comprehensive Development Bill (which later became the National Land Use Planning Act) was enacted, but in January 2001 (Heisei 13), due to the reorganization of central government ministries and agencies, it was integrated into the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism along with the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Transport, and the Hokkaido Regional Development Agency.

The National Land Agency's main mission was to comprehensively promote administration related to the national land in order to ensure a healthy and cultural living environment and balanced development of the land through the appropriate use of the national land, and to contribute to the formation of rich and livable local communities (Article 3 of the National Land Agency Establishment Act). The agency's responsibilities included planning and drafting comprehensive and basic policies and plans for the appropriate use of the national land, such as the creation of a national comprehensive development plan, as well as coordinating the affairs of related administrative agencies regarding basic policies and plans for the use of the national land, with the planning and coordination function playing an important role. Since the 1970s, the agency has also focused on promoting measures against large-scale earthquakes, and has implemented disaster prevention drills and awareness-raising activities, such as Disaster Prevention Day (September 1st).

The National Land Agency had internal bureaus under the Director-General, who was a Minister of State, including the Director-General's Secretariat, the Planning and Coordination Bureau, the Land Bureau, the Metropolitan Area Development Bureau, the Regional Development Bureau, and the Disaster Prevention Bureau, as well as councils such as the National Land Council, the Land Policy Council, the Land Appraisal Committee, the Water Resources Development Council, the Amami Islands Development Council, and the Ogasawara Islands Promotion and Development Council.

Of the National Land Agency's internal bureaus, the Disaster Prevention Bureau was transferred to the Cabinet Office, but after the reorganization, the Planning and Coordination Bureau, the Regional Development Bureau, and the Metropolitan Area Development Bureau became the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's National Land Planning Bureau, and the Land Bureau became the Ministry's Land and Water Resources Bureau, and many of the National Land Agency's administrative affairs were taken over by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

[Kazukazu Hirata]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧総理府の外局として国土庁設置法に基づき1974年（昭和49）に設置された国の行政機関。当初、国土総合開発庁として構想され、1974年の国土総合開発法案（国土利用計画法となる）とともに開発の文字が削られて成立したが、2001年（平成13）1月の中央省庁再編により、建設省、運輸省、北海道開発庁とともに、国土交通省に統合された。

　国土庁は、国土を適正に利用することにより、健康で文化的な生活環境の確保と国土の均衡ある発展を図り、豊かで住みよい地域社会の形成に寄与するため、国土に関する行政を総合的に推進することを主たる任務としていた（国土庁設置法3条）。所掌事務は、全国総合開発計画の作成等国土の適正な利用に関する総合的かつ基本的な政策および計画の企画、立案ならびに国土の利用に関する基本的な政策および計画についての関係行政機関の事務の調整等であり、企画調整機能が重要な位置を占める。1970年代からは、大規模地震対策の推進にも力を入れ、防災の日（9月1日）等、防災訓練、啓蒙(けいもう)活動の実施も行っていた。

　国土庁には、国務大臣たる長官の下に、内部部局として、長官官房、計画・調整局、土地局、大都市圏整備局、地方振興局、防災局が置かれ、審議会等として、国土審議会、土地政策審議会、土地鑑定委員会、水資源開発審議会、奄美(あまみ)群島開発審議会、小笠原(おがさわら)諸島振興開発審議会が置かれていた。

　国土庁の内部部局のうち、防災局は内閣府に移行するが、計画・調整局、地方振興局、大都市圏整備局は、再編後、国土交通省国土計画局、土地局は、同省土地・水資源局となり、国土庁の事務の多くは、国土交通省に引き継がれた。

［平田和一］

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