著者

村串 仁三郎

出版者

法政大学経済学部学会

雑誌

経済志林 = The Hosei University Economic Review (ISSN:00229741)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.88, no.4, pp.5-60, 2021-03-20

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Mt. Fuji was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2013, and has become very overcrowded as a result.While the Mt. Fuji World Cultural Heritage Council was considering how to make appropriate use of Mt. Fuji as a world cultural heritage site, Yamanashi Prefecture authorities submitted a plan for the construction of a Mt. Fuji mountain railway in February 2020 to promote Mt. Fuji tourism.It is claimed that the plan is a good system to eliminate CO_2 emissions from cars by constructing a mountain railway on a toll road, called the Subaru Line, from the foot of Mt. Fuji at Fuji-Yoshida to the fifth station of Mount Fuji.Along with the construction of the Mt. Fuji mountain railway, the plan envisages the construction of infrastructure facilities such as station buildings, power plants, accommodation, restaurants, and toilets around the fifth station as well as the construction of a walking trail called "Otyudou." Furthermore, the construction of an intermediate station is expected, which means that there is a great risk of destroying the nature of Mt. Fuji and damaging the environment and its landscape.Despite the tourism season being limited to three months a year till now, this plan would extend the railway operations throughout the year, including the winter months, which is extremely dangerous due to the poor winter weather conditions.In the area around the fifth station of the Subaru Line, new development activities are hypothetically strictly regulated under the Natural Parks Act and the Cultural Properties Preservation Act. The Yamanashi Prefecture authorities have submitted the construction plan for the Mt. Fuji mountain railway in spite of these regulations. The reason behind this risky project is that it has the support of the Abe administration, which is pursuing an excessive tourism policy.The Fuji World Cultural Heritage Council and conservationists are opposed to this plan. In the midst of these circumstances, the coronavirus pandemic has brought political and economic activity to a standstill, and the progress of the project has been suspended. However, as the coronavirus pandemic comes to an end, it is possible that the opposition movement will be activated and bring the project to an end.