Title A Legal and Institutional Analysis of the Life-Activity Village Project for Regional Revitalization in Response to Population Decline in Japan
Authors 김명식(Kim, Myungshig)
DOI https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2025.41.12.27
Page pp.27-34
ISSN 2733-6247
Keywords Local revitalization; J-CCRC; Lifelong Active Village; All-Generation and All-People Active Village; K-CCRC
Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore the legal and institutional framework necessary for implementing K-CCRC in response to regional depopulation. The analysis focuses on the legal system that supported Japan’s J-CCRC initiative, known as the “Life-Activity Village” (All-Generation/All-People Active Village) Project. The research methodology includes a review of previous studies, an analysis of the legal systems that enabled the J-CCRC, and the development of a logical framework for proposing an appropriate legal structure for the K-CCRC. The study first reviews existing academic research and policy documents related to both CCRC and K-CCRC, then analyzes the enactment and amendment of Japan’s Local Revitalization Act and Regional Regeneration Act, which provided the legal basis for the J-CCRC as a key instrument of the national-local collaborative local revitalization policy. Based on these findings, the study proposes the optimal legal framework for realizing the K-CCRC. The results indicate that the K-CCRC should be implemented as a national-level policy initiative in cooperation between the central and local governments. Accordingly, the Framework Act on Decentralization and Balanced Development should be amended first as the foundational law, followed by revisions to the Regional Regeneration Act as the project-specific legal basis. Furthermore, local governments need to support the initiative through ordinances that institutionalize delegated tasks and implementation mechanisms. Therefore, the legal system for promoting the K-CCRC should be composed of three key elements: the Framework Act on Decentralization and Balanced Development, the Regional Regeneration Act, and relevant local ordinances.