We have studied generation, distribution and use of information in the digital age through some case studies in Japan. First, we have analyzed development process of communication infrastructure with focus on administrative restructuring and digital divide. Second, we have analyzed medical care, childcare and human resource development using ICT with focus on social network of stakeholders and relationship between cyberspace and real space. Third, we have pointed out the problems on the content industry and regional revitalization using contents in local areas of Japan in the digital age

This research aims at analyzing the present condition of big stores closing in the local cities in Japan, and examines the agendas on using of the closing, and the effective correspondence by local governments. In this research, the questionnaire was performed in 849 cities, towns and villages all over the country, and the hearing was performed in six local governments which succeeded in using of the closing. As a result, the following four points became clear. 1) 50.4% of the local governments which had a large store in the central city area have experienced the closing of a big store. 2) It is very difficult to introduce commercial establishment with an ability to pull in more customers after the closing. 3) The compound development which unified downsized type redevelopment is effective. 4) It is important to adjust the right by a governmental agency at an early stage

This study focuses local government broadband policies for broadband deployments and regional promotion using broadband networks in less-favored areas. The results are following. 1) Although broadband deployments have progressed even in less-favored areas of Japan, not a few areas with no-broadband access remain. 2) Digital cable TV networks, which were constructed in order to deal with digitizing terrestrial television broadcasting, can be used effectively for broadband deployments in mountainous regions. 3) Utilizing of the existing facilities and usable software are key factors in regional promotion using information systems

Analysis in Chapter. 1 and 2 are based on the POS (point-of-sales) data supplied by 5 large convenience store chains. The data from 287 stores around the Tokyo metropolitan area are available for this study, while the chain operates several hundred stores in the same area. Classification of store types is proposed through the analysis of diversity in the pattern of sales by commodity groups. Along the line of the proposed store types, systematic interpretation is given for the correlation between diversity in the pattern of sales and that in the store locations.The result of factor analysis by the commodity groups suggests five factors to explain the sales patterns of convenience stores, and according to the result of cluster analysis on each factor loading, stores are classified into the seven types.Convenience stores, with its advantage in one-stop shopping, are said to acquire a part of potential sales of supermarkets and other competitors. This assertion has been proved through the analysis of POS data. Such aspect in the functions of convenience stores basically reflects the retailers' competition in the local market. It is noteworthy, however, the younger customers show different pattern of store choice behavior from older ones. It is also notable that some convenience stores show a clear-cut change in sales patterns by day and night, with office workers' or college students' needs in the daytime and local residents' 'replacement' needs at night.With Chapter 3, I examined a business condition characteristic, a location strategy, and growth possibility about "shop99". As a result, In Tokyo metropolitan area, the place where "SHOP99" could open a store was still had a lot, and potential number 850 rose near. However, population density is low in the local city zone, and there are few small households which SHOP99 assumes a target. On this account there is remarkably little room where SHOP99 can open a store

This study aims to carry out an empirical analysis on the provision of local information using Internet and mobile phone.The results of the study are summarized as below.1) The percentage of local information websites is higher for PC Internet than for mobile phone. This fact suggests the difference of the diffusion stage between the means of local information provision.2) The geographical distribution of local information websites of mobile phone corresponds to the hierarchy of general urban system of Japan.3) Geographical positioning techniques of mobile phone are applied to the local information provision through the i-Area services by NTT-docomo and GPS based search service by KDDI.4) Shopping streets in various regions run a number of websites. Almost all websites contain the outline of the shopping street, links to individual shops, event information. The portion of shopping streets running their own websites is larger in the larger cities.5) The opening period of official website by local government has no clear correlation to the size of municipalities.6) Small local governments tend to emphasize the information provision to the outside of the region. The size of local municipality is also affect to dealing with natural disasters using the website and the information services for foreign residents.7) In spite of the Japanese Government's policy to promote e-local government, online public services have not yet diffused into small and medium-sized municipalities.8) E-commerce of various local products in small peripheral areas has some potentialities to invigorate the local economy

An important geographical change that has produced sophisticated information networks within wholesalers is the spatial separation of transaction locations and logistics depots. The need for face to face contact means that transactions will be directed to big cities that are convenient for representatives from manufacturing companies or chain stores. Meanwhile, logistics depots, which have become automated and integrated into a smaller number of large depots with the expansion of delivery areas, will be directed to suburbs with good traffic conditions (locations with proximity to a by-pass or interchange).Such trends will bring about three changes in Japan's regional economy. The first is the widening of the gap between cities due to the concentration of transaction functions in large cities. Concentration of wholesalers in regional-capitals like Sendai will continue and the gap in wholesale sales among regions will increase. The second is the drastic relocation of logistics depots. A typical example is the concept of supply chain management in which multiple manufacturers share one logistics depot in order to increase the delivery efficiency for each delivery area. The third is the collapse of the procurement function of small-scale retailers in line with the rapid decline of small and medium wholesalers. Wholesalers that are not good at responding to informatization will be alienated from transactions and many will be forced out of business or to reduce their function to vendors

　本研究課題では、まずパイロットスタディを行う対象地域として、2000年以降に大型店の撤退行動が顕著な九州（沖縄県を除く７県）を選定し、以下の３つの手順で分析を行った。第１は、大型店の業界名簿を時系列で整備し、中心市街地からの撤退事例についてデータベースを作成したこと、第２は、主要チェーンストアの経営実績をＩＲ情報および報道資料等から整理し、店舗撤退行動の背景を検討したこと、第３は、典型的な地域を２カ所選定し、関係各所のヒアリング調査を実施したことである。　第１については、日本スーパーマーケット名鑑の2000年度版、同2005年度版、2010年度版をもとに、対象地域の主要都市（人口３万人以上）における大型店の出店・撤退行動のデータベースを作成した。ここから、主要都市における大型店の撤退行動を、１）当該都市圏からの撤退、２）郊外移転にともなう都心店の撤退（スクラップ・アンド・ビルド）、３）企業そのものの倒産・買収にともなう店舗消滅という３つのパターンに分類・整理した。第２については、主要チェーンストアのＩＲ情報ならびに報道資料をもとに、対象期間における各チェーンの経営情報を把握し、撤退の理由が、１）当該店の業績不振、２）新店舗への置き換え、３）競合店との競争など、当該店舗そのものに原因がある撤退行動だけでなく、４）チェーン全体の業績不振（倒産・買収を含む）５）物流コストの縮減を目的とする広域での撤退、６）減損会計に対応した店舗整理など、企業全体の広域戦略の中での撤退行動が相当数あることを明らかにした。第３については、郊外型ショッピングセンターとの競合が激化する中で、市の第３セクターが設立した大型店の倒産を経験した佐賀県佐賀市と、郊外移転にともなう中心市街地店舗の撤退跡地に、商店街があらたに食品スーパーを誘致した大分県臼杵市のケースについて、行政、商工会議所、ＴＭＯ、商店街振興組合など関係各所へのヒアリング調査を実施した。

　本研究の目的は，首都圏に分布する287店舗のコンビニエンスストア（以下，コンビニと略記）を，POSデータに基づく販売特性をもとにタイプ分類するとともに，曜日が販売特性に与える影響を把握し，その背景にある地理的要因を検討することである． 本研究の分析結果は次の３点に要約できる．第１に，一都七県の287店舗のコンビニは，販売特性から７つの店舗類型に区分された．また店舗類型を規定する要素は，主として外出先因子（昼間人口），家庭内因子（夜間人口），他業態代替因子（競合状況）の３因子であり，この３因子の累積寄与率は64.5％に達した．　第２に，７つの店舗類型の地理的分布に注目すると，国道16号線を挟んで，その内側に卓越する５類型と，外延部に卓越する２類型に区分（国道16号線の外側）とに大別できる．さらに内側の５類型は，都心部に多い「オフィス街型」「高競合型」と，相対的に郊外部に分布する「近隣多目的型」「ロードサイド型」「学校・駅前型」に細分化された．また外延部に卓越する２類型は，人口密度の高低で「他業態補完型」「郊外近隣多目的型」に分類された． 　そして第３に，平日・週末別に得られた２つの店舗類型を比較すると，含まれる店舗こそ異なるものの，店舗類型そのものは曜日の違いを超えてほぼ共通しており，上述の７つの店舗類型と同様の解釈が可能であった．そこで，平日・週末間での店舗の類型間移動を検討した結果，①各類型の平均残存率は60.6％と高いこと，②国道16号線の内側に顕著な５類型と，国道16号線の外側に顕著な２類型は，曜日別分析でも同様の立地傾向を示すこと，③平日・週末間で来街者の数や性格が大幅に変化する「オフィス街型」「学校・駅前型」で週末の残存率が低いこと，の各点を確認した．