Local News

The 24th Chikugo River Festival was held over two days in Kokonoe-machi, Oita Prefecture, with the primary theme the need to preserve forests at river headwaters. There was a panel discussion with four of the chief executive officers in the municipalities of the Chikugo River basin, in which they agreed to conduct a “forest trust movement” and create a fund under public sector leadership to purchase forested areas. The leaders think there is a crisis that requires measures to address the growing lack of people in the forestry industry caused by the aging of the population.