historic cities in the Kinki region, which, at present, organize an association consisting of 165 communities, groups and businesses. It is also supported by some 9,000 individual members whose opinions are taken into account in the promotion of the project.
As it stands, it appears to us that the Rekishi-kaido project is nothing but a means to an end. In fact, the creation of the Rekishi-kaido was not a target in itself but a means to realize the following three goals, the first being to create communities which take advantage of their history and culture in promoting themselves. The second is to create recreational zones and the third is to create a base from which Japanese culture will be spread around the world. Although we have been developing various programs directed at these goals, the crucial point is that each individual scheme overlaps with and complements another.
Let me outline these goals. "To create communities taking advantage of their history and culture" can be paraphrased as improvement and revitalization of the community. We have adopted a unique method to encourage each community. The 74 member communities belonging to the association are provided with a specified theme derived from their history. Each community is proclaimed according to the theme, the town of the "Genji Tale", for example. In Shiga Prefecture, which is where Ms. Uehara comes from, some of the towns are named after their history, including those of the Shizugatake battle, Nagamasa and Oichi's romance, Nobunaga's romance and the Black Wall and Hokhoku-kaido. Connecting the past in this way enables the communities to develop closer relationships with each other, as well as being proud of their uniqueness.
Steps are being taken to improve and redevelop roads, museums, parks and station fronts in line with the theme as well as to hold various special events. Currently improvements to the Rekishi-kaido are being made in 33 local governments, and by the year 2000, 50 local governments should be involved. When the improvements in the respective communities reach their final stages in the 2lst century, the project will then be extended further, forging even stronger links between the communities.
The next aim is "to create recreational zones" which can be expressed as tourism promotion. At present the population of the Kinki region exceeds 20 million and tourists to the area amount to well over 100 million, a figure reached simply by totaling the available tourism statistics. Although the figures may not be accurate, it is true that a considerable number of people are living in the region, therefore it is our prerogative to encourage travelers to visit as many places as possible, and return on separate occasions, rather than just engaging in a brief sightseeing visit. In order to achieve this, it is necessary for the communities to associate with each other by way of stronger links and interdependence. The projects already launched include TV, publications, events and campaigns. We have also established a network known as "i Center," which connects 12 information centers and provides tourists with access to information held by any of them.
The third objective is "to create a base to spread Japanese culture to the world," which is closely related to the main theme of this symposium. As you might know, 60 % of our national treasures are concentrated in the Kansai region and our aim is to publicize these historic assets to the world as effectively as we can. We are promoting this project in the form of a cooperative scheme, in conjunction with the business world and 63 private businesses.
This project, which is essentially a public relations exercise for the spreading of Japanese culture to overseas countries, is carried out through four media: printed matter, information technology, people and the visual image. Although I personally feel that visual image is the most influential media, followed by people, information technology and paper respectively, each one has its importance. For this reason all four are used to aid the promotion of our culture worldwide.
The term "printed matter" includes brochures and posters. These materials are printed in four
